The Witch

Following the path carved out by the monster earlier, the players advanced, each lost in their own thoughts. The Black Tide Forest had returned to a state of silence, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing through the trees. In such an environment, an ordinary person might have been driven mad if they stayed too long, but fortunately, the players here were no longer normal.

"We're here!" Xu Haoran stopped in his tracks, staring at the strange lake ahead and the small wooden cabin standing by its shore. The cabin door was already open, as if welcoming Lu Li and the others, and it was at this moment that Lu Li realized something was wrong.

They had followed the monster's trail to reach this place, but now that they had arrived, there was not a single trace of the creature left. It was as if they had stepped into a different scene entirely, and the previous one had been overwritten.

"Come in, what are you waiting for outside like fools?" A hoarse voice suddenly appeared in the minds of the group. The players exchanged glances; Xu Haoran took the lead and entered the cabin, followed by Hu Wenxu, with Lu Li carrying Gao Xiaowen at the rear.

The first impression upon entering the cabin was its size. From the outside, the cabin looked tiny, but inside, the space was impossibly vast—a case of there being a whole world within. Every gaze was immediately drawn to the figure lounging on a recliner.

According to Lu Li's original imagination, a witch would look like those described in fairy tales: a large hooked nose, a face full of pockmarks, wearing black robes and a crooked pointed hat, emitting a hideous, raspy cackle—the very definition of evil.

But this witch, aside from that voice, shattered all of Lu Li's preconceptions. She had long, straight golden hair and a delicate, exquisite face. As she lay there, her silver-white wizard's robe clung to her perfect figure.

The witch lay lazily on the recliner, observing the group with an amused smile. Her gaze swept over Xu Haoran, causing his breathing to hitch involuntarily and his heart rate to at least double. However, the witch's eyes then shifted to Hu Wenxu, sparking a sense of loss in Xu Haoran, which quickly curdled into dissatisfaction and murderous intent toward Hu Wenxu.

The witch then looked at Hu Wenxu's calm, research-driven eyes, nodded once, and let out a soft hum. Hu Wenxu clutched his throat and doubled over, vomiting up large, thick globs of black slime and yellow-green eyeballs.

The witch then swept her gaze over the left hand of Gao Xiaowen, who was feigning unconsciousness, before finally landing on Lu Li. She wore a look of confusion, then smiled at him. This gesture caused Xu Haoran's anger to flare up; had the witch not been watching, he likely would have attacked Lu Li immediately in his current state.

"Alright, state your purpose... strangers." The witch's voice was completely at odds with her appearance—dry, raspy, and enough to induce nausea. Even Xu Haoran, who had just thought he was in love, snapped back to reality, his face flushing red as he lowered his head, not daring to look at her again.

Seeing that Xu Haoran didn't speak, Hu Wenxu continued to vomit eyeballs, and Gao Xiaowen remained feigning unconsciousness, Lu Li vaguely explained the Mermaid Princess's desire to change her race. He then heard the witch let out a dry, raspy laugh: "Another little mermaid bewitched by humans. Changing a race is not a difficult task for me, but I have many things to do right now and cannot spare the time..."

"So, once you have handled these few matters, I will have the time to go see that interesting little mermaid..." The witch stretched, looking anything but busy, and pointed at Xu Haoran: "I have a herb garden on the east side of the forest, but recently a group of bugs has been destroying it. Go and kill those bugs for me..."

As soon as the witch finished speaking, Xu Haoran hurried out with his head bowed. The witch then looked at Hu Wenxu, who was still vomiting eyeballs. Without her moving a muscle, Hu Wenxu coughed up the last of the black slime and looked up at her, his face covered in black stains.

"Your thirst for knowledge is commendable, but unfortunately, it is too reckless. Who gave you the courage to set up so many surveillance methods in a witch's dwelling? Now, I punish you to spit out every last one of the devices you planted. Honestly, your eyeball modification is quite good, but your application of it is poor..." The witch pointed at the filth on the floor, and roaring flames ignited, burning the waste to ash without damaging the wooden floor in the slightest.

Only then did Lu Li realize that the beads Hu Wenxu had been planting were his own eyes. This must have been his mutated organ—capable of continuous regeneration, detachment from the body, and remote surveillance. However, when faced with a powerful witch, they were not only useless but were forced out through his throat by her sorcery.

"There is a giant monster on the north side of the forest. Your task is to lure that monster to the seaside, and then you run..." The witch assigned Hu Wenxu his task. Hu Wenxu nodded, wiped the stains from his face and mouth with his clothes, glanced at Lu Li, and walked out of the cabin.

"As for you, put that woman down and head to the west. There is a cave there; kill all the monsters inside and bring me the item from the very back..." The witch laughed hoarsely: "Good luck..."

[Stage Quest Received: The Witch's Request 1/3]

[Quest Description: In the western part of the Black Tide Forest where the witch resides, there is a strange cave inhabited by a group of monsters. Kill them all and bring the treasure from within the cave to the witch...]

[Quest Hint: There are three requests from the witch in total. You have received the most difficult one; pray for your own survival. Of course, you should also pray that your teammates can complete the other two tasks, otherwise, you will have your hands full...]

[Quest Reward: Perhaps the witch will give you some rewards. Of course, you may also learn something about yourself from her...]

Lu Li blinked, feeling that this quest was quite a trap. As the weakest one, he had received the most difficult part. Under normal circumstances, he should wait for the other two to finish their tasks before proceeding together.

"But, that wouldn't be any fun, would it..." Lu Li smiled, turned, and left the cabin. The witch watched Lu Li's departing figure, a smile appearing in her eyes: "One marked by a Great Existence, let me see what makes you different..."

Then, the witch looked at Gao Xiaowen on the floor and said with interest, "Woman over there, get up... since you are carrying..."

Happy Dragon Boat Festival. Xu Ming has things to attend to today; although it is a holiday, I can only provide one update. Please forgive me.