High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1546: Chapter 290: Adding Mushrooms for You

Here is the English translation:

”Mars!”

The hoarse and discordant harmony echoed faintly near his ears. Zheng Qing held the Charm Gun, standing alone in the courtyard. The absolved hunters and captives lay neatly on the muddy ground, their eyes tightly shut. Furry Bean’s figure flickered in and out of the void, anxiously meowing incessantly.

The warlock looked up, gazing toward the main door of the house.

The door was half-open, revealing a blurry face—Zheng Qing found it difficult to describe the specific features of that face. It bore the flat characteristics of a human face, complete with eyes, a nose, and a mouth, yet its eyes were entirely black, and the tip of its nose dangled beneath the bridge as though it were melting wax, ready to drop at any moment.

As for the mouth, it was surrounded by a circle of tiny appendages that contracted and extended unpredictably, resembling enlarged snail antennae or weakened octopus tentacles. These appendages rubbed against one another, producing the hoarse, discordant harmony Zheng Qing had heard earlier—a sound that repeatedly uttered incomprehensible phrases with qualities akin to prayers or spells.

Zheng Qing couldn’t discern whether those appendages were whiskers or mouthparts.

Because when he opened his eyes, escaping the illusory world, one of the appendages was slowly inching toward him, merely five centimeters away from his cheek.

Perhaps startled by the act of him opening his eyes, the appendage recoiled instantly, retreating to cluster around the blurred face’s mouth behind the door, once again contracting and extending unpredictably.

”Release them.”

The young public-funded student steadied the Charm Gun in his hands, firmly pointing it at the blurry face hidden behind the doorframe, issuing a concise warning: ”You have three seconds to decide... You know the power of this shot.”

As he spoke, he instinctively glanced upward at the sky.

Above his head, the night sky had been torn open by his earlier impulsive shot, leaving a massive ”white hole”—like someone punching a small hole into a black curtain with an awl. Around the hole’s edges shimmered golden rings, and radiant white beams poured forth. Heavy, pitch-black clouds roiled at the white hole’s edges, surging inward, consumed by the dazzling lights.

However, in the grand expanse of the world’s night sky, that ”white hole” was utterly insignificant. Shadows pressed in from all directions, squeezing against the edges of the white hole. The golden ring of light visibly shrank at an alarming speed.

Still, it was persuasive enough.

Zheng Qing withdrew his gaze and refocused on the master of the house: ”Three, two...”

”Swish!”

Seven or eight slender appendages retreated from the young wizards and female demons. That hoarse and discordant voice spoke with urgency, tinged with a faint air of reluctance: ”Relax, young man, relax... It’s just a little joke to help you sharpen your resistance to nightmares. Guests of Elder Atar from Usha City are always esteemed guests at Engla Manor. Look, I’m even preparing mushroom soup for you.”

As he spoke, a few appendages slipped through the gap in the door, carrying a pitch-black cauldron. Beneath the cauldron floated a mass of orange-red flame, and inside, steaming broth bubbled. Several plump mushrooms bobbed up and down in the clear soup.

Zheng Qing had no doubt the cauldron was meant for them—the difference being, if they had remained trapped in the illusion, they might have ended up in the pot themselves, stewed into meat soup.

He suppressed the urge to blow up the cauldron with one shot, glancing sideways at his companions.

With the appendages’ retreat, the young wizards lying on the ground began stirring. Jiang Yu furrowed her brows and groaned softly; Zhu Si curled up beside the witch, trembling; Zhang Ji Xin’s face took on a flushed hue; Xin Fat Man’s body expanded and contracted uncontrollably, seemingly losing control momentarily; and as for Xiao Xiao, the moment the appendages retreated, a translucent golden turtle shell enveloped him.

The two female demons displayed noticeably greater resilience to both nightmares and illusions. While the young wizards were still recovering, Nikita and Zhuzhu had already opened their crimson eyes and sat up.

Having previously heard the words of the old master while trapped in the illusion, Zheng Qing now found them even more ironic upon hearing them again: ”So, let me get this straight—your idea of hosting esteemed guests is to knock them unconscious and turn them into either soup or experiment material?”

”This is a complete misunderstanding.” The blurry face wavered slightly, seemingly attempting to shake its head. ”I am but a mortal devoted to the pursuit of magic, eager to eagerly discuss its truths with like-minded friends... Of course, sometimes people fail to keep pace with my experimental ideas, leading them to mistakenly believe they’ve become lab specimens. Such perceptions are entirely incorrect... As for meat soup, I am not a demon—I don’t eat humans, and naturally wouldn’t turn you into soup.”

As it spoke, it seriously glanced at Nikita, offering a reminder: ”...But the little lady beside you here is a purebred Witch Demon, so perhaps she wouldn’t mind eating a few wizards as snacks.”

Nikita’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flickering in their depths.

”How amusing.” The female demon licked her lips and smiled seductively. ”I have indeed eaten plenty of wizards, but I’ve never had the pleasure of tasting a blackhearted one... Perhaps you can fulfill this modest wish of mine.”

”Silence!” Zheng Qing, growing impatient, waved the Charm Gun, signaling the two wicked figures to behave themselves. Then, he turned to glance at Xiao Xiao: ”Awake?”

Thanks to his high mental resistance, the diminutive warlock under the turtle shell was the first to recover.

At this moment, he sat cross-legged with the turtle shell cradled in his arms. Before him floated an already-open Law Book. Several apricot-yellow talisman papers, resembling spinning windmills, circled around him slowly, emitting faint blue-green glimmers.

Xiao Xiao adjusted his glasses, carefully examining the surroundings. After a moment, he spoke: ”Were we struck by an illusion?”

”I’m not sure if everything is safe now,” Zheng Qing replied cautiously, unaware of when they had fallen victim to the illusion. ”I suggest you wake everyone first, followed by the standard post-illusion procedures.”

The Hunting Team had its established guidelines for dealing with illusions.

”You’re already safe now!” shouted the indistinct face behind the doorframe in a hoarse, discordant tone. ”No illusions! No danger... It was just a simple misunderstanding earlier!”

Zheng Qing didn’t believe a single word from this bizarre entity.

”Who is this?” Xiao Xiao queried while directing several ’Heart Purifying Talisman’ and ’Illusion Breaking Talisman’ to float toward the others. He observed the indistinct face behind the doorframe, frowning slightly.

Zheng Qing was just as curious, shooting a questioning look in the same direction.

”Apologies for the late introductions... Engla, at your service—the first and final master of this old mansion.” The blurred face wobbled slightly, the tiny appendages near its mouth rubbing against one another as it lifted the still-steaming cauldron from the steps, kindly asking, ”The mushroom soup is almost ready... Shall I add a few more mushrooms for you?”