The Lost Thing

The chunks of flesh withered rapidly, and a black-and-red tentacle extended from within, followed by a bizarre mass of meat. On the slimy surface of this flesh, more than a dozen eyes snapped open simultaneously.

The moment those eyes opened, Wang Yuan's expression shifted. It was not because the dozen eyes of the newborn monster were staring at him in unison, but because something had emerged the instant they opened, and the pathogens that formed the vital components of the monster slowly slipped out of Wang Yuan's control.

The monster's dozen eyes darted around incessantly as if observing the world, then it tore through the surrounding rotting meat, revealing its full form to everyone present.

What should have been its head was that mass of deformed tumors, with over a dozen eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. Below the head was a hunched humanoid frame; two black-and-red tentacles grew from its back, while the monster's feet were horse hooves.

The entire creature lacked skin, resembling a flayed frog, and was a deep black-red. It struggled to take a step forward from the rotting meat before collapsing back into the withered remains.

After struggling for a moment, the monster stood up again. It paused, seemingly contemplating something, before leaping directly out of the pile of rotting meat and walking toward Wang Yuan's position.

A sense of danger emanated from the monster. For the first time, Wang Yuan felt a direct threat. Previously, his crises had stemmed from his own limitations, such as a lack of Vitality Qi; there were few external threats he could observe, let alone ones that projected such menace.

Wang Yuan did not panic. The emotions inherited from Jacques played a role, lending his personality a touch of composure under pressure. He drifted backward, observing the creature's behavior. It did not act like a newborn lifeform; it possessed its own behavioral patterns and grasped the nature of this world quite quickly.

"Guru guru guru!" The creature's head-like mass split into numerous holes, emitting a strange tone that resembled a language. Then, the holes shifted, and a sound with a slight rhythm emerged: "Kaskakasos?"

This feeling? Wang Yuan carefully analyzed how the monster's pathogens had lost control. Is it somewhat similar to the arrival of a higher consciousness?

Soul transmigration? Wang Yuan suddenly thought of the term. It seemed to explain the creature's bizarre behavior, though the monster clearly wasn't human. The creature then anxiously switched to another language, mixing in some Kente People's tongue, though it seemed to have only just learned it and could not convey any meaning.

"Do you have a desire to communicate?" Wang Yuan observed the creature, but before he could react, the creature, realizing communication was impossible, impatiently charged forward. It seemed to be desperately craving something.

"I would also like to know your information, but it seems communication is off the table." Wang Yuan had to consider another method to obtain these details.

Interference force surged, disrupting the creature's advance as several small animals, infected by pathogens and with slightly rotting skin, darted out from the side.

Although the primary goal this time was to test the Black Crow Pathogen, the increasingly cautious Wang Yuan had naturally considered the possibility that the Kexi People's guard unit would be useless. Thus, he had infected these small creatures, using his control over the pathogens and the input of conscious information to forcibly command them.

Stimulated by the pathogens, these animals charged madly at the strange creature, biting at it frantically. The tentacles behind the monster whipped out, grabbing the small animals as if trying to extract something.

Unfortunately, these small animals were infected by Wang Yuan's pathogens and possessed almost no self-awareness. Wang Yuan did not believe the creature could extract anything. Sure enough, the monster angrily tossed the small animals aside, then ceased its movements, its dozen eyes fixed on Wang Yuan as if to burn his image into its memory.

Following this, the monster's body collapsed rapidly, and Soul Qi, accompanied by a large amount of Vitality Qi, overflowed from the corpse.

Wang Yuan pondered for a moment and waited until the Soul Qi was on the verge of dissipating before approaching to absorb it. A flood of fragmented memories and emotions surged into Wang Yuan's soul body.

Because the Soul Qi was nearly gone, the memories within were severely damaged. The information Wang Yuan obtained was not substantial; he hadn't even deciphered the creature's language. The only thing that remained clear was the creature's final action.

The monster's soul had, through some method, touched something deep within his own soul consciousness. Then, the creature's soul essence had followed that connection, discarding a vast amount of Soul Qi to vanish from this world.

So it really was soul transmigration? And an active choice by that creature! Wang Yuan was incredibly excited. In truth, his greatest fear had been being trapped in this so-called low-magic world for the rest of his life.

If that were the case, even if he controlled the entire world, his desire for Domination would never be satisfied. He already knew there were many worlds; if there were low-magic ones, there would naturally be medium and high-magic ones. How could he allow himself to be confined to a corner?

He hadn't expected to encounter a visitor from outside the world today and even obtain the method for world-traversal. Wang Yuan couldn't wait to perceive the depths of his own soul body, following the method the monster had used.

After a long while, Wang Yuan opened his eyes. Everything around him seemed to have settled. The Kente People bandits who had raided the Kexi village had suffered heavy casualties, with only a few escaping, and two Kente People had been captured alive.

Sen looked at the captured Kente people with immense excitement. He had succeeded; he had seized the opportunity to take a Kente person as a substitute sacrifice, meaning he would not have to die.

"I did it!!" Sen shouted excitedly. Komoro stood in the distance, ordering others to throw firewood onto the withered rotting meat before igniting a fire; otherwise, the Black Crow Pathogen here would madly infect every living thing nearby.

As for the final monster, Komoro and the others chose to act as if they hadn't seen it. Hearing Sen's excited shout, he offered a faint smile. Although their friendship was gone, surviving was enough.

"I..." Sen wanted to continue, but suddenly felt a chill. A force pierced directly into his forehead, and without any resistance, he collapsed to the ground, his life extinguished.

Wang Yuan watched the Soul Qi and Vitality Qi drifting from Sen's corpse, the frustration and irritability in his heart finally dissipating slightly.

Just moments ago, Wang Yuan had used the monster's method to perceive the depths of his own soul. Unlike the monster, there was nothing in the depths of Wang Yuan's soul. At this moment, he finally understood what his soul body had lost.