Another attempt

"Sure enough, no matter where I fall asleep, I always wake up here." Lumian rolled out of bed, glanced at the "Fate-Hunting Knife" placed beside him—no, "Fallen Mercury"—and walked to the window through the faint Gray Fog.

He braced his hands on the Desk, his gaze fixed on the Blood-Colored "Mountain Peak".

At the top of the "Mountain Peak", thick fog layered upon layer, completely obscuring the three-headed, six-armed "Giant".

"Last time, just one glance almost made me Loss of Control. I really don't know what I'll do if I have to face it again..." Lumian sighed with considerable trouble.

He didn't get caught up in those emotions for long and quickly broke free because he had many other things to do.

In her bedroom, Lumian began to dance the dance that summoned strange creatures, letting her spirituality spread through her frenzied, Distortion movements and rhythms, combining with the manipulated forces of nature to "broadcast" in unspecified directions.

Before long, he sensed something approaching and saw the transparent and blurry figures of the Mouthpart Monster, the Shotgun Monster, and the Skinless Monster reflected in the Glass Window.

Lumian did not rush. Following the dance movements, he drew his Ritual Silver Dagger and stabbed the back of his left hand.

A drop of bright red blood quickly overflowed, drawn by spirituality and the power of nature, condensing into a bead that embedded itself on the skin's surface.

The three figures all made unusual movements, but none of them dared to enter Lumian and possess his body.

Lumian turned halfway around, raised his left hand, stomped his foot, and shouted, "Me!"

He spoke in Ancient Hermetic, and the whole room seemed to shake slightly, the faint Gray Fog that filled the room rippling.

Lumian used the Ritual Silver Dagger to pick up the drop of blood and pointed it at the Mouthpart Monster:

I command you!

"Come on to me!"

It was still in Ancient Hermetic, and an invisible wind was faintly blowing.

The transparent, blurry figure of the Mouthpart Monster trembled noticeably, as if it had been lifted up and shaken violently by Invisible Man.

Just as Lumian made his final move, thinking it wouldn't have any effect, the Mouthpart Monster flew into the house, landed on the Ritual Silver Dagger, and swallowed the drop of bright red blood.

Then, it trembled violently as the silver Dagger pierced into Lumian's body.

Lumian involuntarily opened her mouth, her mind filled with thoughts like "So hungry, so hungry, I'm so hungry."

He quickly turned to the side and looked at the Full-Length Mirror on the wardrobe. He saw that his face Paleness and bluish, and his mouth was wide open, making him look more like Corpse than a living person.

It was a success... Lumian looked at herself in the mirror as if she were a complete stranger.

It feels a bit unfamiliar.

He suppressed his intense hunger and tried to sense the Mouthpart Monster possessing him.

It was as if he had an extra brain, most of which was filled with thoughts of hunger, bloodlust, and madness, while a few places still retained some instincts of using his own characteristics.

Lumian can amplify one of his instincts through willpower and spirituality, which is equivalent to using a certain trait or ability of Mouthpart Monster.

Without hesitation, Lumian chose to "Invisibility".

The next second, he saw that his reflection in the Full-Length Mirror had disappeared.

Everything—from the body and clothing to the Ritual Silver Dagger —was gone.

Lumian paced back and forth a few steps, but found no trace on the Mirror or the glass.

Of course, his footprints and his scent did not disappear.

Lumian the silver Dagger Aurora had given him, raised his arms, and threw a few punches forward.

Despite the thuds, the Full-Length Mirror still didn't reflect him, until Lumian actually threw a punch at the Mirror.

As his fist struck the Mirror, his silhouette was instantly revealed: a pale, bluish face with a fierce look in his eyes.

"Amazing... No matter what I do, the ' Invisibility ' effect is still there, only I can't mute it. But as soon as I attack the Mirror, the ' Invisibility ' can't be maintained... I thought it was the optical Invisibility that Aurora was talking about, but now it seems there must be some Mysticism element involved... Attacking something means establishing some kind of connection with it, and you're no longer Invisibility in its 'eyes'?" Lumian let his outstretched right fist hover on the surface of the Mirror.

Having confirmed the effects and limitations of "Invisibility," he could no longer overcome his intense hunger, stomped downstairs, went into the cellar, and retrieved two Steak.

If he hadn't still been Rationality, he would have already devoured the darkened flesh upon seeing it.

Considering that the fire hadn't been lit yet and the Steak still needed to be cooked to at least medium-rare, Lumian abandoned that Ingredient and opted instead for the cheese he had stocked at home.

He didn't care at all about cleanliness or taste; like a starving ghost, he kept stuffing food into his mouth.

After eating several pieces of Cutting cheese, Lumian finally managed to suppress his intense hunger somewhat.

"So this is the negative effect of the Mouthpart Monster..." he assessed seriously. "Fortunately, I can still control my body and haven't completely lost my Rationality... That thing does have a strong Lingering Obsession for revenge, but it's being suppressed by an even more overwhelming fear... If I were to say 'leave' in Ancient Hermetic right now, it would definitely run faster than anything else..."

At this point, Lumian was completely certain that the negative effects of being possessed by the Mouthpart Monster were within acceptable limits, and that "Invisibility" would become a major asset for his exploration and combat in the Dream Ruins.

This, combined with "Fallen Mercury," made him feel that his combat abilities had more than doubled.

Lumian returned to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down, patiently waiting for the possession to end.

Before long, his spiritual energy was almost completely depleted.

He didn't push himself too hard; he stood up and did a few crazy-looking moves.

This is part of a dance used to lure Monster; its purpose is to make the possessing entity leave.

Without Lumian needing to give a command in Ancient Hermetic, the blurry yet transparent figure of the Mouthpart Monster flew out and disappeared into the first-floor Glass Window without looking back.

"Don't run so fast, you're acting like I'm covered in dung." Lumian couldn't help but make a self-deprecating remark.

He initially confirmed that his spirituality could maintain the possession state for about three minutes, and once he "Invisibility," the consumption rate would double.

Of course, this is just the normal situation. When encountering danger, Lumian can squeeze out his own potential to maintain the possession state for longer, but that can easily lead to Loss of Control. It's best to avoid doing it if possible.

Although the Mouthpart Monster had left, Lumian still felt a lingering hunger, so he lit the stove and cooked the Steak he had just turned over until it was medium-rare.

Then, he picked up his knife and fork, quickly Cutting, forking, and putting the meat into his mouth, savoring the delicious juices locked inside.

In less than ten minutes, Lumian finished two Steak and finally stopped feeling hungry.

Looking at the empty plate in front of him, he sighed and said, "Three minutes of physical exertion will take at least two hours to recover..."

This refers not only to the elimination of hunger, but also to spiritual restoration.

Seeing that the current situation was not suitable for exploration, Lumian found flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and started making cookies using the oven at home.

This, along with the cheese, will be his primary source of energy in the Ruins.

If he had more time, he would have made some dried meat.

--This is also the kind of food that Shepherd often carry, and being in the Cordou Village, he naturally knew how to prepare it.

While busy, Lumian pondered what he would do in the Dream Ruins later:

"Well, firstly, we want to circle around that ' City Wall,' and secondly, we're considering Hunting Flame Monster..."

Only by improving one's own strength can one better explore and unravel the secrets of Dream...

The Flame Monster displayed strength at least at Sequence 7, and most likely through the "Hunter" Pathway. Its abilities in all aspects perfectly overwhelmed Lumi. He hadn't originally planned to deal with that guy anytime soon, wanting to try and find a weaker prey, equivalent to a "Provocateur." But now, the acquisition of "Fallen Mercury" and "Invisibility" abilities gave him a glimmer of hope.

Once her spirituality had mostly recovered, Lumian put the baked cookies and Cutting cheese into a cloth bag and hung it around her waist.

Then, he carefully wrapped his left hand with layer upon layer of white bandages and picked up the Evil Dagger called "Fallen Mercury".

After slinging his Hunting Rifle over his shoulder, securing his Axe, and taking any other necessary items, Lumian headed towards the main entrance on the first floor.

Suddenly, he had the feeling that he was a fully armed Hunter, about to embark on a dangerous Hunting.

Many thoughts then surfaced in his mind:

"The initial plan is to first figure out the Flame Monster's activity patterns, then rely on ' Invisibility ' to quietly approach it, and use ' Fallen Mercury ' to stab it and create a wound."

"Before that, hunt down a weak Monster, strip it of a part of its bad Destiny, and wait to exchange it with the Flame Monster."

"I can't perform the Sacrificial Dance while possessed, and I need to partially activate the Black Thorn Symbol, otherwise the Mouthpart Monster will immediately detach from my body. Therefore, the most difficult part of the whole plan is figuring out how to create distance between myself and the Flame Monster after injuring it, and wait for the exchange of Destiny to complete. Simply relying on ' Invisibility ' makes it easy for it to lock onto me through my tracks..."

Lumian hasn't found the answer to the second question yet, which depends on the intelligence gathered in the early stages.

As he opened the gate and stepped into the Wilderness, these thoughts lingered in his mind, and a premonition inexplicably arose:

"If I successfully Hunting the Flame Monster, my ' Hunter ' Potion will be fully digested."

In the area where he had last encountered the Flame Monster, Lumian gripped a silver-black Dagger in his left hand, carefully searching for any possible traces and remaining constantly on guard against a sudden attack.

After carefully searching for nearly ten minutes, he finally discovered what appeared to be traces left by Flame Monster:

In the corner of a collapsed house, there is a black mark from fire on a certain stone, while none of its kind around it have such marks.

Once one appeared, another followed. Lumian quickly located the Flame Monster's whereabouts and cautiously followed Past.

When the marks became fresh, he stopped and began to dance.