Oh No! It's Coming Out!

"S-second tier?!"

When Ma Lou saw those words on the panel, he nearly dropped onto his backside, his voice cracking.

Earlier, the five of them had burned through every trump card, scrambling frantically, and had only barely managed to whittle down a "peak first-tier" Big Bug by exploiting the mechanics.

Now these Cultists had actually cooked up a second-tier super boss in this lousy village?

And its backstory sounded absurdly impressive-it was a projection of one of the twelve great horrors serving the Evil God!

If it hatched, forget the five of them, all level 3 newbies. Even if they rounded up all fifty new players today, they probably wouldn't even be enough for this thing to pick its teeth with!

"Ji, we can't mess with this monster! Is this seriously something we're supposed to fight at this stage?"

Fear appeared on Bossy Guy's usually good-natured face, too. His palm was slick with sweat around his Stone Axe.

[Ji Luo] stared fixedly at the still-pulsing Flesh Cocoon, his mind racing.

"Retreat isn't an option."

[Ji Luo] gritted his teeth. "These Cultists are targeting the Lord of Ashes-in other words, our starter village. If this thing hatches and attacks the Church, we're all screwed, and all our progress goes down the drain."

"Then what do we do? It's second tier, man!" Ma Lou cried anxiously.

"Look at the panel! It's still incubating!"

[Ji Luo] pointed at the row of red text, his gaze sharpening like a gambler who had lost all reason. "If we can't beat a second-tier monster, then we'll smash its incubator before it reaches second tier!"

"Kick it while it's down! Bust that cocoon!"

"Ji's right! This crappy game wouldn't throw us into a situation that's completely unwinnable at this stage! If the system says it's still incubating, that means it's left us a loophole in the mechanics!"

[Passing Pure-Love Warrior] widened his eyes, instantly radiating the full, ruthless bandit energy of the fourth catastrophe.

Jiahao also took a deep breath and pushed up a nonexistent monocle with one hand.

"Indecision is the cardinal sin of the capital markets. Since we've been backed into a corner, our only option is to go all in. Interrupt its incubation-that's the only sound underlying logic."

"Let's do it! Worst case, I lose ten Ash Coins. Ten minutes later, I'll be back and ready for more!" Bossy Guy hefted his Stone Axe, his good-natured face set with fearless resolve.

With everyone in agreement, the five of them didn't hesitate.

For the fourth catastrophe, once their minds were made up, it didn't matter what indescribable ancient evil god they faced. As long as it had a health bar, even the supreme ruler of heaven was getting whacked a couple of times!

"Move!"

At Ji Luo's command, the five level 3 "Ash Apostles" charged like five starving wolves descending a mountain. They kicked the Priest's Residence's rickety wooden door to pieces and roared their way into the hall!

"Here comes the truck! Die, all of you!"

[Passing Pure-Love Warrior], charging at the front, immediately locked onto a Cultist guarding the doorway.

Before the Cultist could understand what was happening, a white flash crossed his vision, and a Spiked Club studded with sharp stone fragments slammed into his forehead with thunderous force.

Bam!

The bone mask shattered. Before the Cultist could even scream, [Passing Pure-Love Warrior] smashed his head open with a single swing, reducing him to a heap of mush on the spot.

[Zero-tier fallen Cultist killed. EXP +20, Ash Coins +4.]

"Holy shit, humanoid mobs drop more money than Mutants!"

"We're getting rich, boys!"

[Passing Pure-Love Warrior] shouted excitedly.

The sudden attack threw the dozen or so Cultists conducting the ritual in the hall into chaos.

Their red-robed leader was shocked and furious. He had never imagined that a few shirtless savages would burst in and ruin things at the most crucial moment of the blood sacrifice!

"Heretics! You dare profane the Holy Lord's descent! Kill them all and add their flesh and blood to the Altar!" the red-robed leader roared, charging forward with his Bone Blade raised.

But he had clearly underestimated these five savages' fighting prowess-and underestimated the players' shamelessness even more.

"Cover us with missiles!"

"Bossy Guy, ignore the trash mobs! Come with me to the Altar!"

As [Ji Luo] shouted, he raised his hand alongside Ma Lou and Jiahao behind him.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three [Ashen Missiles] of black smoke, flecked with orange-red sparks, struck the densest cluster of Cultists with unerring accuracy.

Boom!

Blinding flames and thick black smoke erupted instantly!

Screams filled the hall. Seven or eight Cultists clutched their burned eyes, stumbling blindly in every direction.

Seizing this perfect opening, [Ji Luo] and [Kindergarten Boss] charged in from either side like two bulldozers, forcing a bloody path through the chaotic crowd of Cultists.

The two headed straight for the enormous [Flesh Cocoon] in the center of the hall!

"Stop them! Hurry, stop them!"

The red-robed leader's eyes reddened with desperation. He lunged recklessly at [Ji Luo], bringing his Bone Blade down with a blood-reeking gust.

"Your opponent is me!"

[Passing Pure-Love Warrior] charged in from the side with a savage grin, sweeping his Spiked Club across to meet the red-robed leader's Bone Blade head-on.

Crack!

The tremendous collision split the web of [Passing Pure-Love Warrior]'s hand, nearly knocking his Spiked Club from his grip.

Still, his intervention slowed the red-robed leader down.

By then, [Ji Luo] and [Kindergarten Boss] had already reached the edge of the Altar.

Up close, the Flesh Cocoon pulsed like an enormous heart, filling both of them with a soul-deep shudder of revulsion.

Yet neither hesitated for a moment.

"Break, damn you!"

Bossy Guy roared, the muscles in both arms bulging.

He swung his heavy Stone Axe with every ounce of strength he had, chopping viciously at the writhing blood vessels on the cocoon's surface!

Squelch!!

The axe struck as though it had hit an incredibly tough slab of rubber.

With a dull tearing sound, a torrent of foul-smelling, dark red slime gushed from the split in the cocoon, splattering Bossy Guy from head to toe.

"Woooo!!!"

A strange, bloodcurdling shriek suddenly rang out from inside the cocoon!

The sound pierced straight into their souls, making everyone in the hall clutch their ears and collapse to the floor in agony.

"Oh no! It's coming out!"

Fighting the needle-like pain stabbing through his mind, Ji Luo shouted a warning.

At the shriek, the Cultists who had been fighting fiercely abandoned all resistance and dropped to their knees, their faces twisted with a mixture of extreme fanaticism and terror.

The red-robed leader kowtowed madly, muttering, "Holy Lord, spare us your wrath... Holy Lord, spare us your wrath... the vessel for your descent isn't perfect yet..."

Rumble!

The floor of the entire Priest's Residence began to shake violently.