Eldritch Horror Theatre

It really was!

So the so-called ”upcoming performance” was really just about seeing what kind of commotion that thing would cause once it ran back into the pit?

Faced with Expert Fu’s frank admission, Lisa was left speechless for a moment, turning her head to look at the gradually approaching ”light.”

This guy really was completely reckless. If he actually caused an unmanageable disaster, even he would have a hard time explaining himself to the Academy, right?

As for the Spirit Ash Institute’s attitude, that didn’t even bear thinking about.

At the same time, however, she had to admit that once she accepted the situation, she was actually starting to look forward to what might happen next...

”How long do we wait?”

Realizing there was someone taller to hold up the sky if it fell, Professor Lisa dropped her mental baggage. She looked at Fu Qian, her tone suddenly brimming with eagerness.

”Until there’s a commotion over there.”

Fu Qian wasn’t displeased by this; instead, he looked gratified.So he really was aiming for chaos, wasn’t he? He wouldn’t be satisfied unless he made something go horribly wrong?

Naturally, his excessively uninhibited answer tested Lisa’s psychological adaptability all over again.

”And what if there’s no commotion, and that thing just escapes?”

Lisa thought for a moment before cautiously adding the question.

”That would be a shame. But there are materials everywhere in there, so it’s not like you absolutely need that specific one, right?”

...

Sure enough, my thinking still isn’t flexible enough!

Guided once again by Professor Fu, Lisa finally sighed in genuine admiration.

His plan couldn’t be any clearer.

He had deliberately thrown the stone pillar earlier to make a huge racket, all to attract that centipede’s attention before using his own body to test its attack.

Then, through an overwhelming counter-shock, he had terrified the thing into fleeing all the way back to the giant pit just to see what would happen.

So her feeling from earlier was likely correct—the effects of that roar hadn’t ended yet.

As she pondered silently, as if to verify her thoughts, the group of Bone Spirits—which were practically bathing in the light and about to escape into the giant pit—suddenly fell into chaotic movement.

And the source of this chaos was precisely the centipede that had faced Professor Fu’s might head-on.

As its bone claws danced wildly, clusters of deep green radiance surged out from its cylindrical body like sputtering ribbons.

But not only did these ribbons fail to completely detach from its body, they instantly entangled the closest of its own kind.

The victim, shaped like a water strider and originally fleeing in silence, instantly lost all resistance. The emerald radiance lingering between its white bones was forcibly torn out, and it was only the first victim.

In just a few breaths, aside from one or two lucky survivors, the rest of this already small fleeing party were captured in the exact same manner.

And it wasn’t just their ”spirits” being torn out and plundered—their original white bones followed suit, all converging onto the centipede’s body.

The already sizable centipede instantly more than doubled in volume, sprouting a cluster of new claws and even half a wing on its back.

...

It really isn’t that simple. I might not even be able to handle that thing myself right now.

Faced with this sudden, maddened mutation, Lisa was alarmed, but she quickly evaluated the shift in Combat Power.

Although this was her first time seeing these special creations devour each other, she could still sense how completely unreasonable the process was.

That group of creatures had truly fused together at a rapid pace using this method.

The entire process even seemed to faintly prove a point—one that the man beside her had brought up during their last exploration: these white bones really could be spliced together to form more complex states of existence.

For example, even though the creature currently looked hideous, one could still tell it was a coordinated whole, and it still lacked a head.

She had to admit, although this operation was agonizing for her nerves, it had truly yielded quite a few rewards.

”Should we pursue? It doesn’t look like it wants to come back for revenge. If it continues to escape into that Mist, the situation will probably become very hard to control.”

Amidst her sighs, she consulted the guest beside her regarding the results of her observation.

Crack!

Yet the response she received was actually another crisp, snapping sound.

Expert Fu had lightly leaped a short distance away and casually snapped off a second stone pillar.

He stepped forward, twisted his body, and swung his arm. The wind howled as the stone pillar transformed into a javelin, whistling through the air.

”I can tell.”

After doing all this, Fu Qian clapped his hands, gesturing for Lisa to follow.

Boom!

As the loud crash echoed, the stunned Lisa finally accepted the suggestion and caught up.

...

It seems this guy thinks the chaos still isn’t big enough.

Although she didn’t speak for a moment, Lisa could still see clearly from this distance. That stone pillar javelin didn’t hit the target; instead, it smashed to pieces not far from the creature’s side, making it feel for a moment as if the very ground beneath their feet was trembling.

Under such a commotion, the result was obvious. The mutated centipede once again displayed its survival instincts, accelerating its escape toward the light.

Because of this, the two lucky survivors that had originally been running at the front were successfully overtaken and forced to join the glorious evolution.

And from the speed at which Professor Fu was advancing, it was glaringly obvious that he had no intention of catching up before that thing escaped back into the giant pit.

He actively wanted this continuously condensing and mutating monster to gather with more of its own kind...

”I won’t be able to handle what comes next.”

The moment she realized this, Lisa very straightforwardly admitted her own shortcomings.

The way this guy was doing things had clearly exceeded her ability to manage.

In fact, the very moment she said those words, a wave of comfort washed over her body and mind.

Sure enough, once you decide to just let things rot, your mood instantly improves.

This latter sigh of emotion actually came from Fu Qian’s mind. He was clearly quite satisfied with Professor Lisa’s change in attitude.

What came next was no longer within her project scope; she shouldn’t be the one bearing the burden in the first place.

The Gospel Shockwave brings both enlightenment and the price of mutation. With the two combined, let me see your limits.

...

”It really is still devouring!”

Soon, the light was right before their eyes, and the churning of the Mist outside was already clearly visible.

The changes within it made Professor Lisa, who had already resolved to let things rot, unable to resist reporting the situation once more.

She wasn’t wrong at all. In just this brief moment, more than one new victim had been added.

They were already at a relatively deep location within the giant pit. Not only had the number of drifting Bone Spirit creations increased dramatically, but there was also no shortage of various massive behemoths among them.

Of course, after its consecutive bouts of devouring, the White Bone Centipede boasted an exaggerated size even upon returning here.

And its berserk ”spirit” was still madly spewing and tearing, rapidly growing stronger.

Under Lisa’s helpless gaze, the swirling white bones even converged and interlocked at the top of its body, slowly forming a deformed head.

And almost the instant it took shape, its pitch-black eye sockets stared directly this way.

An unprecedented oppressive force swept over. Even while under protection, Lisa still felt a chill run through her entire body.