Monster World

Monster World

He summoned the interface and opened the game map.

A translucent pale-gold scroll unfolded before him. At the very center of the map were the words "Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range," while most of its regions were shrouded in fog.

The map exploration progress displayed in the upper-right corner was 0.001%. Beneath it was a small line of text: Waning Crescent (Low).

"Guidance, are there no quests to accept in this game?"

Closing the map function, Li Zheng looked toward the Guiding Water Orb floating beside him and asked.

[This game triggers quests randomly. There are no specific NPCs from whom quests can be accepted. As challengers, your most important task is to kill and contain Primal Monsters while exploring the Monster World. Every successful containment will grant generous rewards.]

"Contain Primal Monsters? What does that mean?"

[The background of this game tells of how the supreme deity of the Monster World, "Di Zhao," sought the mysteries of unknown life more than ten thousand years ago. He divided his own power and scattered it throughout the Monster World, where it evolved into various types of Primal Monsters. Today, more than ten thousand years later, the Monster World has been swept by the Terror Black Tide and stands on the brink of collapse. You, who have received Di Zhao's bestowed power, must fight the evil entities brought by the Terror Black Tide. At the same time, by hunting and containing Primal Monsters, you will gradually restore the power of the slumbering Di Zhao until he fully awakens.]

[Simply put, the more Primal Monsters you contain, the stronger Di Zhao behind you becomes, and the more game functions he can grant you.]

[When you created your characters upon entering the game, the blue Crystal Wall you saw was the Primal Containment Wall beneath Emperor's Tomb Village. Every time a player kills a Primal Monster, the containment slots will gain one additional monster form to choose from.]

After hearing Guidance's explanation, Li Zheng was even more confused.

"So we can change our initial monster form later on, right?"

The Guiding Water Orb nodded at his question.

[Of course, you can change your initial form after choosing it. In addition, you can master multiple monster forms and abilities, switching between them freely through the Astral Veins function. Every monster form can provide you with a special ability, as well as attribute boosts corresponding to that form.]

[Meanwhile, your Body Tempering level allows you to inherit monster attribute boosts even while in your main form, as well as use the abilities of monsters in various forms.]

As it spoke, Guidance waved a hand and pointed ahead. A massive screen immediately appeared before them.

At the top of the screen were four large words: "Ability Demonstration."

A plain-looking human man stood within the image, with the phantoms of three monsters floating behind him.

Guidance tapped the screen, and the man's attributes immediately appeared.

[Challenger Name: Test Subject No. 1]

Main Form: Human

Body Tempering Level: Level 3 (Can inherit all attribute boosts from three monster forms)

Astral Veins Socket Level: 3

Socket No. 1: Black Armored Snake Soul Lv. 30 (Trait: Venom)

Socket No. 2: Spiked Ball Soul Lv. 30 (Trait: Spike Shot)

Socket No. 3: Long Sky Soul Lv. 30 (Trait: Flight)

Guidance pointed at the image and explained.

[Test Subject No. 1's Body Tempering level has reached Level 3. Even without transforming into a monster form, his main body can inherit all attribute boosts from all three monster forms simultaneously, and he can also use the trait abilities of all three monsters at once.]

As Guidance explained, Test Subject No. 1 in the image moved.

A large number of worm-like monsters spawned before him. After a pair of wings materialized behind his back, Test Subject No. 1 rose into the air and swept both hands forward. Countless steel spikes rained down upon the swarm like raindrops.

Green "Poisoned" prompts appeared above every worm struck by the steel spikes.

"I get it. Different monster traits can be mixed and matched in the main form. The Black Armored Snake Soul's trait makes all physical attacks inflict poison, while the Spiked Ball Soul's trait deals area-of-effect physical damage. Combining the two can inflict group poison on every target within the attack range."

[Correct.]

"How many monster forms can a player possess at most?" Li Zheng continued asking.

[There is no limit. Astral Veins levels and Body Tempering levels can be raised indefinitely. Later on, you can master hundreds of monster traits and combine them into all kinds of interesting skill combinations in your main form. The prerequisite is that you contain enough Primal Monsters and have enough Monster Souls available for socketing.]

[Of course, when your Body Tempering level is 0 in the early stages, your main form cannot inherit monster attributes. It is recommended that you switch to monster forms for combat.]

By this point, Li Zheng and the others understood what Guidance was trying to convey.

Initial forms could be changed, and every player could master multiple monster forms, each with its own special ability.

"What an interesting system!" Killing Intent, who was in the party, nodded at that moment.

"Can I understand it this way? Containing Primal Monsters is a world-level main quest shared by all players. The player who completes the containment can enjoy generous rewards alone, while also giving every player access to that shared monster form."

[Correct.]

"By the way, what does the Waning Crescent displayed in the upper-right corner of the map mean?"

[The lunar phases differ across different regions of the Monster World. From low to high intensity, they are divided into five levels: Waning Crescent, Waning Crescent Moon, First Quarter Moon, Full Moon, and Great Evil Moon. The lower the intensity of a region, the lower the level of evil entities that appear there. The higher the intensity, the higher the level of evil entities that appear there. However, monster strength is unaffected by lunar phases. They can move freely through regions of all lunar phase intensities. Great Evil Moon areas may contain low-level monsters, while Waning Crescent areas may also contain high-level monsters...]

Guidance's detailed explanation gave Li Zheng and the others a preliminary understanding of the game's world background.

This was a ruined world invaded by the Terror Black Tide. Countless evil entities had descended alongside the Black Tide, bringing chaos to the Monster World.

The world's main lifeforms were divided into three categories.

They were Primal Monsters, monsters, and evil entities.

Among them, evil entities were wicked lifeforms that had followed the Black Tide into the Monster World. Their areas of activity were affected by changes in lunar phases, and high-level evil entities only appeared during high-intensity lunar phases.

Primal Monsters and monsters, meanwhile, were native lifeforms of this world, and their range of activity was unaffected by lunar phases.

Of the three types of lifeforms, Primal Monsters were the most important to players. After being killed, they could be contained within the Containment Wall beneath Emperor's Tomb Village and become a form available for all players to choose.

"Let's go. Time to level up."

After gaining a preliminary understanding of the world setting, Li Zheng led the other nine players in the party toward the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range.

At the foot of the mountain range lay an Ancient Battlefield.

Tattered banners, shattered armor, broken weapons... piled up like mountains across the ground.

They had walked less than a hundred meters when Li Zheng and the others encountered an evil entity.

A two-meter-tall skeletal soldier slowly rose from a heap of bones. The tattered armor on its body slid to the ground as it turned toward Li Zheng and the others. Ink-black flames suddenly ignited within its pitch-black skull.

The overly realistic environment, coupled with the monster's sudden appearance, made Li Zheng and the others shudder.

As they focused their gazes, the skeletal soldier's analysis information surfaced in the minds of Li Zheng and the other players.

[Cursed Soldier (Evil Entity)]:

Hunting Level: 3

Target Description: A lifeform infected by the corrupting power of the Terror Black Tide. In life, it had been a devout believer in Di Zhao. After death, it was transformed into a Cursed Soldier by the infection of the Black Tide's power.

"It reeks!"

Broke to the Bone covered his nose with one hand, his expression full of disgust.

"This is way too realistic. The stench is making me dizzy."

"Enough talk. Farm monsters and level up first." Li Zheng was the first to act. In the blink of an eye, his body switched into Black Armor Snake form. He sprang forward, opened his blood-filled maw, and bit straight at the Cursed Soldier.

"Evil Snake Breaks Free!"

Seeing Li Zheng move, Leopard Head Zero Charge bared his fangs and followed without hesitation. Transforming into monster form, he roared.

"Two Snakes Leave the Cave!"

"Three Snakes Emerge from Water."

"Four Snakes Pounce and Bite!"

"Five snakes... whatever, roar!"

The players from the Grind Emperor group transformed into monster forms at the same time, shouting as they pounced on the Cursed Soldier. After surrounding it, they launched a vicious assault.

After a brief exchange, Li Zheng and the others discovered that biting could not break through the Cursed Soldier's defenses. They decisively changed tactics and began attempting to kill it through constriction.

"Great Snake Entanglement."

"Two Snakes Follow and Entangle."

"Three Snakes Also Follow."

This move proved effective. Six Black Armor Snakes coiled around the Cursed Soldier at once. As their bodies tightened, the sound of bones cracking continuously rang out from its body before it crashed to the ground.

The other four players did not remain idle either.

The two players who had chosen Stone Gargoyle form used their claws to pull at the Cursed Soldier's lower limbs from two directions, preventing it from rising. The two players who had chosen Eagle Head Demon form used their sharp beaks to viciously peck at the ink-black flames in the Cursed Soldier's skull.

In less than a moment, the Cursed Soldier was torn apart by the ferocious players and reduced to a pile of bones.

At that moment, a mass of black mist emerged from the dead Cursed Soldier's skull and flew toward one of the players. Upon touching his body, it seeped inside.

A notification immediately popped up in the party channel.

[Challenger Notice: Player "Family Shared Godfather" has killed the evil entity: Cursed Soldier. Life Evolution Points +30. Sacrificial Power reward: 5.]

Amid Li Zheng and the others' astonished expressions, Family Shared Godfather's body visibly swelled by an entire size, while a fleeting Level +1 prompt appeared above his head.

"Uh, I think I leveled up. It looks like only the one who gets the kill receives the reward. It can't be shared." Seeing the gritted-teeth expressions of his brothers, Family Shared Godfather looked somewhat awkward.

"You thief! You stole my destiny of growth! Take a bite from me!"

"You have deeply disappointed your father. Watch me discipline you with the family rules."

"Even if you didn't do it on purpose, hogging all the food is still wrong. We agreed to grow stronger together, yet you betrayed us and reached Level 2 first. If I don't peck you once, the rage in my heart will never fade. Die!"

Seeing his brothers close in with hostile expressions, Family Shared Godfather immediately surrendered, but what greeted him were his brothers' heavy fists.

(End of Chapter)