Alchemical Implant: Adamantine Scale Armor

After listening to his subordinate's report, Bald Ivan asked, "How capable are those puppets in combat?"

"They aren't that strong. They use cold weapons, and firearms can easily blow their bodies apart."

Marcus was clearly still shaken. He swallowed and added, "But there were simply too many puppets, and they couldn't be killed! Even when a firearm blast left them with only a severed arm, they could still chase people down and slash at them. And the house was full of puppets. They could appear in any corner—in cabinets, behind doors, in the cellar..."

"They can be blown apart by firearms? I see."

After carefully listening to his subordinate's account, Bald Ivan gained a bit of confidence.

He analyzed, "It looks like that Phantom Species's ability is controlling puppets to kill people. It should only be a First Tier Anomaly. Otherwise, if it had Second Tier strength, killing you wouldn't have been so troublesome. We overestimated this Cursed Space before. It's Grade B at most, not Grade A."

"..."

Beside him, Suren's eyes shifted as he listened to Baldhead's analysis, but he did not quite agree.

Based on his experience of watching over a thousand horror movies, everything that Phantom Species had done gave him the feeling of, Heh, I'm not killing you. I'm just playing with you.

Killing people seemed more like a game.

Clearly, Baldhead had only two choices before him now.

Either leave this anomalous manor immediately, or continue searching for Sir Isaac's Relic.

But no matter which option he chose, there was an eighty-percent chance he would have to confront the Phantom Species in this house directly.

If the Anomaly's ability was merely controlling puppets, then it would not pose much of a threat to Bald Ivan.

At least, puppets at that level were not fatal in his eyes.

The best outcome would be obtaining the treasure and taking down the Anomaly as well.

But if the Phantom Species's abilities went beyond that, then even fleeing without seeking the treasure would still mean facing it.

As the leader of a Wilderness Hunter Group who had spent years living on the edge of a blade, Ivan barely hesitated before saying, "Let's go! Let's see what is so strange about this manor!"

Naturally, Suren, the "living map," had to be brought along. As he spoke, Baldhead glanced at his subordinate and added, "Marcus, keep an eye on this kid. Kill him immediately if he does anything suspicious!"

Marcus glanced at Suren beside him. "Yes, Captain!"

Suren was not particularly surprised that Baldhead intended to keep forcing his way through. He would have done the same in his place.

What surprised him was that before they left the room, Baldhead displayed another incomprehensible Supernatural Ability.

Suren had already thought it astonishing that Baldhead possessed a Steam Mechanical Arm, but then Baldhead gave a low shout. "Curse Mark Implant—release!"

His hands formed several seals, and then he rapidly muttered several incantations that could not be heard clearly.

This strange, ritualistic behavior somehow triggered a miraculous transformation.

The instant the incantation ended, golden light suddenly flooded the room.

Looking closely, Suren saw a shimmering Hexagram Magic Array appear beneath the bald man's feet. The array's patterns were profound and intricate, as though they held some wondrous power. It made one feel as if they had glimpsed the depths of endless void, and a dense aura of mystery washed over them.

"Magic?"

Seeing this, Suren blinked, growing even more astonished.

And something even stranger came next!

Once the magic array's glow faded, the patterns on the strong man's bare skin—which Suren had initially assumed were painted tattoos—slowly solidified into physical form.

Looking again, they had become a layer of scale armor with a gleaming metallic sheen!

After the ritual, metal scale armor covered his entire body. Baldhead's aura changed abruptly, turning him into a majestic giant clad in steel.

Seeing this, Marcus seemed to gain some confidence. In a slightly fawning tone, he said, "No matter how many times I see it, Captain, your Alchemical Implant: Adamantine Scale Armor is still so breathtaking."

"Mm."

Baldhead nodded without saying much, then rumbled, "Follow me!"

With that, he opened the door and walked out without fear.

Watching this unfold, Suren became increasingly intrigued.

He had watched carefully. Those metal scales had formed from Baldhead's tattoos after the magic array appeared.

Clearly, this was another kind of supernatural power beyond Suren's understanding.

Before he could think further, a tug on the rope made him stagger forward, nearly falling.

The moment his last foot crossed the threshold, Suren suddenly remembered something.

Instead of avoiding it, he turned and stared directly at the Nutcracker Puppet in the corner, then smiled at it.

The meaning was: I found you.

Since he had found it, then let it "trigger."

Based on his many years of playing horror games, triggering certain specific conditions might activate some unexpected plotline. Though such behavior was usually suicidal, still...

Things could not get any worse right now, could they?

In the blink of an eye, Suren and the other two had left the room.

At that moment, no one saw the Nutcracker Puppet's jaw begin to tremble, producing strange "click-clack" sounds, as though it were grinning wickedly.

"Kid, walk in front!"

Compared to Baldhead's caution and Marcus's sneaking steps, Suren appeared much calmer.

He also knew his own limits. Though his fighting skills and marksmanship had been fairly good in his previous life, in this fantasy world where people could withstand bullets with their flesh, he was little more than a weakling.

If he wanted to survive, using his brain was definitely more practical than fighting.

Tied to a rope, he was forced to walk at the very front as a human shield.

Still, this suited Suren just fine. He could carefully observe everything in the corridor.

Just as he had expected, this was a luxurious manor.

The corridor was brightly lit, but not by electric lamps or gas lamps. Inside the glass lampshades were glowing gemstones. There were many sealed doors on both sides of the corridor, soft cashmere carpets covered the floor, and exquisite oil paintings hung on the walls at intervals.

But the corridor seemed far too long.

After walking for some time without seeing the end, Marcus asked in a trembling voice, "Captain, where are we going? We... seem to be trapped."

Bald Ivan pondered for a moment. He seemed to have noticed the house's abnormality as well, and asked, "Kid, where is the room you mentioned?"

Suren looked around and said directly, "I've never been here either. But to find the room on the Treasure Map, we first need to find the Banquet Hall."

In fact, he had noticed it long ago. No matter how large the manor was, this corridor was abnormally long.

But before he could say more, an old woman's eerie cackle suddenly echoed beside their ears, raising goosebumps all over their bodies. "Hehehe... according to the rules of the game, if you're found, you'll be killed."

It did not sound like a voice a human could make. Low and heavy like a demon's whisper, it made their souls tremble.

The moment he heard those words, Marcus's face turned deathly pale. As though he had been terribly frightened, he stammered, "It's here! It's here!"

Every time he heard that voice, one of his companions had been killed. Marcus was now on the verge of collapse, trembling all over.

Suren swept his gaze across the corridor and quietly pressed himself against the wall, becoming especially cautious.

Bald Ivan merely snorted. "Hmph, stop pretending to be mysterious!"

Just then, several figures suddenly "floated" over from the distance.

Looking closely, they were several bizarre wooden puppets floating in midair. Their shapes were crude, like segments of lotus root pieced together. Yet each one held a long, slender dagger, their jaws snapping rapidly with dense "click-clack" sounds that made one's scalp tingle.

"So these are the murderous wooden puppets in the manor that guy mentioned? They can fly too?"

Suren watched the strange puppets pouring in from both sides of the corridor, and his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

But at that moment, a muffled boom suddenly rang out.

He did not need to look. From the shockwave that nearly blew them off their feet, he knew Bald Ivan had fired his cannon.

The blast struck the cluster of puppets dozens of meters away, smashing several puppets advancing toward them into pieces with a deafening crash.

Yet this did nothing to stop the puppets' tide-like charge.

Those puppets with broken arms and legs continued rushing forward as well, dragging heaps of "parts" with them.

"Hmph!"

Bald Ivan roared and charged straight into the mass of puppets without fear.

His metal scale armor showed its tremendous value then. When the puppets' blades struck it, sparks burst out with sharp clangs, yet they failed to harm him in the slightest.

"Baldhead really is strong. But those puppets can't be killed. If we don't break this deadlock, we'll eventually be worn to death here."

With his hands tied, Suren had very little room to move. Under the puppets' wave-like assault, his chances of survival were extremely slim.

However, he had no intention of waiting to die.

At that moment, Marcus was so terrified that even the hand holding his gun was shaking. He had long since let go of the rope binding Suren.

And Baldhead had drawn the vast majority of the puppets away. This was the perfect opportunity.

"Now!"

Suren glanced around, then without hesitation pushed off with one leg and slammed fiercely into the glass window beside the corridor.

He had observed it long ago. Outside the window was nothing but fog. Though he did not know which floor the corridor was on, judging from the structure, it definitely was not high up.

The chance of dying from the fall was low.

But...

The moment he jumped, something went wrong again!

With a loud crash, Suren easily shattered the glass window and flew out, plunging into the thick fog.

He had expected to land somewhere like a garden and had even prepared himself to cushion a fall from a height.

But when he landed, his feet stepped onto a soft carpet again.

When he looked around at the familiar surroundings, Suren froze.

"Fuck... I'm back again?"