Tearing Off the Mask

Scarlet blood slowly flowed from the wound. It seemed that no matter what element transformed it into this monster, the essence of its life had not been completely altered.

After continuously using Divine Arts, Li Wen only had 2 points of Magic Power left. Considering that the Shattered Eye of the Transcendent required Magic Power to activate, these two points could absolutely not be used again. After all, the Eye of the Transcendent did not belong to the Radiance Spectrum, so it was not within the effect range of Blood of Candlelight.

The reason she faced the attack alone this time was partly because Li Wen wanted to test the power of Spell-less Arc Light. The results were pleasing; even though the monster's neck was covered in scale-like tumors, it couldn't block the arc light for even a moment.

Moria looked up at the ceiling, not seeing any other monsters. Perhaps only the one that attacked Li Wen was present here.

"Its claws are very clean." Li Wen had noticed this during the attack, "It's not the murderer of these adventurers."

"Meaning, there are other monsters hidden in other corners..."

Hearing this, both the Gnome and the Wild Mages shivered violently. They didn't have the strength of Li Wen or Moria. If they had been the target of the attack earlier, they would have either had to wait for Moria to successfully save them or they would have died.

"Haha, well... you see everything here is a mess, so finding anything won't be easy. Plus, there's still unknown danger. How about we go back and make a plan?" Halik rubbed his hands together and suggested with a dry laugh.

He had long been fed up with this cursed place and couldn't wait to leave.

Regarding this matter, Moria shifted his gaze to Li Wen.

"I don't mind. You can leave if you feel uncomfortable, but I must be responsible for my companions and get the Shadowfall Potion."

Li Wen said this deliberately, emphasizing the non-existent "companions" to emotionally blackmail Moria, making it difficult for him to make a decision.

After all, Li Wen was currently incapacitated. If Moria left, who would guarantee her safety?

Moria felt a headache coming on. He understood Halik's feelings, but he couldn't let them leave alone. It wasn't that he was afraid the Wild Mages would run away, but rather that he couldn't guarantee Halik and the others wouldn't encounter danger without him. As for Li Wen... he couldn't possibly leave her here alone.

"How about this: later, I will use the Divine Descent Technique to summon an Angel. The Angel will escort you out and ensure your safety. What do you think?"

Halik was overjoyed, but the Gnome Zotes stammered:

"N-no, that won't do. I accepted the adult's payment. Besides escorting the adult in, I also have to escort the adult out... I can't leave."

Is that really true? Li Wen was the first to not believe it.

Just then, another voice, one that had virtually no presence, also chimed in.

"I'm not leaving."

It was Halik's companion, another Wild Mage, Nasha.

She also refused the offer to leave, and even more resolutely, without even stating a reason.

Halik was dumbfounded. He frantically winked at his companion, but Nasha showed no reaction. Her eyes were hidden beneath her wide Mage hat, so no one could see her expression.

"Then, Halik, you..."

"H-haha, then I'll stay too!" Halik coughed dryly. "I'm a Mage, after all. If I stay, maybe I can help a little..."

Moria smiled with relief at this. Halik thinking this way was indeed beyond his expectations.

In reality, he was just being a coward. It was fine if someone accompanied him to leave, but leaving alone... he suspected he wouldn't even have the courage to get out of the dungeon.

Li Wen didn't notice the farce happening nearby. She was trying to cut open the monster's belly and head with the Bone-Gnawing Short Sword to examine its internal structure.

The examination revealed that all the organs inside were dissolved into a black, gelatinous substance. These substances formed a complex, web-like structure within the monster's body. The monster's head was even more horrifying; its contents were long gone, replaced by a large, fat worm.

It was about as thick as a human's forearm, coiled up. Its body was covered in fine, stone-like scales, and its head had only a circular mouthpart with several layers of teeth. It had been sleeping peacefully in the skull, but now its habitat was destroyed by Li Wen. Enraged, it raised all its scales and let out a piercing roar at Li Wen.

Li Wen immediately stabbed it through the head with her sword.

"What is this thing?"

Moria frowned deeply.

"It looks like some kind of parasite. This monster... or rather, the victim's brain, was eaten by it. It's likely the culprit that controlled the victim to attack me."

In fact, Li Wen was already seven or eight parts sure, only missing the last piece of the puzzle to complete the story of what had happened. And that last piece...

"Don't you have anything to say, Zotes?" she asked.

The Gnome trembled all over. He scratched his body.

"I-I don't understand, I don't know anything!"

Zotes looked to Moria for help, but Moria just watched him calmly, seemingly waiting for him to explain.

At this point, even the most oblivious person would realize something was about to happen. Halik quickly distanced himself from the Gnome and Li Wen, pulling Nasha behind Moria.

"I don't understand..." Zotes frantically scratched his face, neck, and body, his fingernails tearing his skin, drawing blood. "I don't understand!"

His usually timid voice became loud and piercing.

"Why! Why! How dare you suspect me! You damned, filthy thing that crawled out of the mud!" he roared in frustration, tearing at his hair and facial skin with his hands. Only after a moment did he regain his composure, glaring with bloodshot eyes. "Humans are so cunning, full of lies and schemes... Speak, when did you start suspecting me."

"From the beginning," Li Wen replied truthfully.

Upon hearing this answer, Zotes's expression became incredibly subtle for a moment.

"How is that possible!"

Li Wen shook her head. "You said one thing correctly: you truly don't understand Magic Potions. You might not know that Ghost Solution has a shelf life of no more than three months. If it's not used within three months, the potion will disappear like a ghost... So, when you said you took the Magic Potion from the dungeon, you were wrong from the start."

This was also why Li Wen's first question was to the Gnome, asking if he had concocted the potion.

Zotes clearly refused to believe such an absurd claim. He roared frantically, cursing in Gnome language.

"How could it! How could it! I took the Magic Potion with my own hands! I took it from the dungeon!"

Finally, the Gnome could bear it no longer. He dug his fingernails into his forehead and forcefully tore off his entire face, flesh and blood included.