Whether they are paranormal beings or magical creatures, their tempers tend to be less than ideal.
Particularly with humanoid doll-like entities, each has its own unique personality. They disdain food they dislike and can go berserk when encountering something they enjoy, sometimes to the point where even their owners can’t control them. In some cases, players with weaker abilities might even be harmed by their own tools due to lack of control.
This was why Western players reacted with shock when they saw Gu Jiu commanding three paranormal entities to consume monsters, looking at her as if she were the devil incarnate.
“She’s clearly nurturing paranormal entities. Isn’t she afraid they’ll become strong enough to turn on her someday?” they wondered.
Chai Yingying, puzzled, asked, “So, just because of the risk of backlash, should we never allow them to grow? Then what’s the point of buying these tools?”
Players spend points to purchase tools to be useful in the game world, right? The stronger the tool, the more valuable it is. While backlash is a potential risk, it seems like a waste to hinder their growth because of it.
It’s a calculated gamble. Both Chai Yingying and Gu Jiu shared a similar mindset.
They had absolute confidence that even if the paranormal entities grew stronger, they could still suppress them as their owners.
“It’s not necessarily about limiting their growth,” said a Western player. “These magical creatures may be tools, but they’re incredibly intelligent—almost human-like. They’re practically a different kind of intelligent being. Looking at them just feels… unsettling.”
For this reason, Western players were generally less inclined to purchase magical creatures.
Hearing this, the Eastern players easily understood their perspective.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, “You’re not wrong.” Everyone had their own preferences and views, and their concerns weren’t invalid.
Odinson stared at the three paranormal entities, then glanced at his own magical creature, deep in thought.
Once the three paranormal entities finished devouring the severed limbs of the monsters, Gu Jiu and her group stood up and prepared to leave.
These monsters were high-level, and while the three paranormal entities could consume their limbs, they couldn’t handle the rest. Even with their formidable teeth, digesting the remains was beyond them.
The Western players bid them farewell and went off to explore other areas.
After a journey filled with outsmarting and battling monsters, the group finally reached the forest to the east.
Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze were utterly exhausted. They slumped down next to a patch of misty grass, guzzling water from their pouches and tending to their injuries.
In stark contrast to their disheveled state, Gu Jiu and Lu Ji appeared calm and composed.
Lu Ji was one thing—he had always been a low-key powerhouse. But Gu Jiu was a surprise. Despite exerting significant effort, she maintained her poise effortlessly, completely at odds with her reputation as a delicate and meticulous young lady.
Could it be due to her awakened body-enhancing talent, which had strengthened her constitution?
“Miss Gu, be honest with me. Do you spend all your time at the training grounds when you’re not eating?” Chai Yingying asked seriously.
Gu Jiu replied leisurely, “Not really. I haven’t been to the training grounds much lately.” She smiled and added, “After all, I’m no longer single. How could I spend all my time in the training grounds?”
Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze both felt subtly targeted.
Lu Ji chuckled softly. His smile was shy yet charming, radiating warmth.
The pair instantly felt like they had been force-fed a mouthful of sweetness, leaving a bitter taste in their mouths. However, they also understood that Gu Jiu’s impressive skills weren’t just due to her special talent—she clearly worked hard as well.
Indeed, to become a young lady who commands respect and admiration, Gu Jiu must have secretly put in a lot of effort to strengthen herself.
Gu Jiu pulled Lu Ji along to gather the mist grass.
No matter how many times they encountered it, the mist grass always left players marveling at the wonders of creation.
The two of them harvested a considerable amount of mist grass and stored it in their portable pouches, which isolated the plant’s scent to prevent attracting monster attacks.
After finishing, they didn’t leave immediately but instead ventured deeper into the forest.
The dense fog made it difficult to determine direction. To avoid getting lost, Gu Jiu marked the trees along their path.
They pressed onward until they reached the forest’s edge, where they were blocked by an invisible barrier.
Gu Jiu reached out to touch the unseen boundary as the surrounding mist surged. She attempted an attack, but the swirling fog effortlessly repelled her efforts.
Lu Ji stood quietly nearby, guarding her as she probed the barrier.
After completing her examination, Gu Jiu said, “Ah Ji, let’s head back.”
The two returned to the forest’s edge.
Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze, who had been waiting outside, immediately approached when they saw them emerge. “Miss Gu, did you discover anything?”
“Not much,” Gu Jiu replied with a shrug. “There’s nothing special in this forest. No need to pay it any attention.”
Chai Yingying sighed. “We haven’t been in Ella Town for long, but with only three hours each day for proper exploration, who knows how long it’ll take to uncover the town’s secrets?”
Gu Jiu replied with a calm smile, “What’s the rush? It’s not like we’re on a time limit.”
As she spoke, she took Lu Ji’s hand and led him away from the forest.
Chai Yingying sighed again and turned to Jiang Ze. “I think I should find a boyfriend too. What do you think? Should we give it a try?”
Jiang Ze hesitated. “…Better not. I’m not your type.”
“True,” Chai Yingying agreed with a nod. “I prefer real men, the kind brimming with masculine energy. Someone like the soldier king Qu Xiao would be ideal. Too bad he’s so focused on his own plans that he’s not interested in finding a partner right now.”
Even if she wanted to try, it seemed impossible.
Jiang Ze silently acknowledged that if it was Qu Xiao, that made sense.
As they walked down a street, the space ahead opened up.
Through the mist, the outline of a tall stone wall became visible. Gu Jiu recognized it immediately as the only plaza in the town. The large clock on the stone wall ticked audibly, the sound unusually distinct in the quiet, fog-covered town.
To Gu Jiu, the sound seemed to echo directly in her ears.
Despite the pervasive fog, the clock continued to function perfectly.
The four of them stood beneath the stone wall, gazing up at the large clock.
It was 11 a.m.
“Just one more hour until the fog dissipates,” Chai Yingying said with a smile. “One more hour to hang in there.”
Jiang Ze suddenly asked, “Miss Gu, do you think there’s something strange about this clock?”
Gu Jiu stared at the large clock on the stone wall. “I’m not sure. But this clock shares the same history as the town. It’s essentially a witness to the town’s story.”
Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze carefully examined the clock, but apart from the ticking sound, they couldn’t discern anything unusual about it.
“Roar!”
The familiar roar of monsters echoed, interrupting the group’s study of the clock.
Two monsters materialized in the open plaza and, sensing human presence, charged toward them.
Their speed was astonishing. Their slender, powerful limbs struck the ground, cracking the stone slabs and leaving shallow pits in their wake. Yet no matter how they attacked, they instinctively avoided the stone wall where the clock hung.
This was because of the Mistgrass adorning the stone wall.
Jiang Ze held a spirit energy gun with a steady hand, every shot fired from its barrel striking the monsters with pinpoint accuracy, slowing their advance.
He retreated as he fired.
Lu Ji wielded the Infernal Blood Whip, striking the two monsters and binding them together in the process.
The monsters clawed at the whip, tearing it apart quickly, only to be met with a blood-stained axe. Their legs were severed by the powerful blow.
The four of them efficiently dispatched the two monsters.
“Roar!” “Roar!”
More roars echoed from the mist. Although the exact shapes were unclear, several dark shadows emerged.
At least six monsters were approaching.
Faced with overwhelming numbers, the group decided not to confront them head-on and opted for a tactical retreat.
They fled the plaza, picking a random direction as they ran, chased by the horde of monsters.
When the monsters closed the distance, they counted at least a dozen following them. Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze felt a chill run down their spines, thankful they had started running early.
The four dashed madly through the streets of the foggy town, leading a trail of monsters behind them.
In the mist, a group of Western players was cautiously advancing when the commotion caught their attention. They immediately became alert.
Moments later, they saw four Eastern players sprinting out of the fog, followed by a horde of monsters. Their own nerves frayed, the Western players turned and fled without hesitation.
Odinson, his expression dark, called out, “How did you attract so many monsters?”
Gu Jiu shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. They just showed up out of nowhere.”
Odinson was skeptical. Normally, the monsters encountered on the streets numbered three or four at most. To suddenly face more than ten was highly unusual and suggested some kind of anomaly.
“There’s no anomaly,” Gu Jiu sighed. “They just appeared suddenly. Maybe they didn’t want our paranormal dolls eating their kind, so they came out to stop us.”
Odinson: “…”
With so many monsters in pursuit, the players had no choice but to run as fast as they could, pushing their limits to escape.
“Head… head to the tavern!” gasped a Western player, nearly out of breath.
“To get back to the tavern from here will take about twenty minutes,” Gu Jiu calculated aloud. “It’s ten minutes to noon now. If we can just hold on for ten more minutes, we’ll be fine.”
The Western players: “….”
As the players were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, the clock finally struck noon.
The thick fog began to dissipate, and the outline of the town gradually became clear in their view.
Gu Jiu abruptly turned around to look at the group of monsters behind them. She watched as their dark silhouettes faded along with the retreating fog, eventually disappearing into thin air, as if they had been evaporated by the noonday sun.
Odinson, just like her, stared intently at the monsters vanishing before their eyes.
The other players collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air with pale faces, too exhausted to speak.