The young lady used all her strength, crawling weakly on the ground, her lower body seemingly numb.
The delicate skin on her palms was scratched by a small pebble, and a little blood flowed out, but the young lady seemed not to feel the pain. She just stubbornly dragged her body toward the Scarlet Witch.
That's about it. The young lady gritted her teeth and laboriously threw the last bag of lime powder at Ren Yifei's feet.
Ren Yifei seemed to understand something, but he said nothing. He simply picked up the lime powder and walked towards the monster with the golden thread wrapped around him several times.
Throughout this time, the golden threads continuously absorbed his energy. The absorbed energy fueled the Scarlet Witch's appetite, but Ren Yifei, having unlocked the gluttony attribute, grew stronger the hungrier he became.
"Just a little bit more." Ren Yifei felt the extent of his hunger. True hunger is a state of numbness, where you can no longer feel pain or discomfort, but he hadn't reached that point yet.
This ability has a minor drawback: it is fueled by hunger, but once too much power is consumed, the hunger will subside.
So even though he was entangled in golden threads, he didn't feel very hungry because he had previously stolen a lot of energy from the other party.
Fortunately, he had prepared beforehand.
Ren Yifei took out the medicine he had taken, thought about the dosage for the experiment, and took a small sip.
After taking a sip, I felt it wasn't enough, so I tilted my head back and drank it all in one gulp.
"Ugh." His stomach suddenly felt like it was on fire, but the pain quickly subsided. He opened his eyes again, and the world was made up of pure energy.
The world is a beautiful black, low energy is dark red, medium energy begins to turn orange, and there are three exceptionally dazzling golds among the crowd.
"They look delicious." Ren Yifei unconsciously licked his lips; the gold color held a strong attraction for him.
His eyes were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
A near-golden soul looked in his direction, without specific facial features or shape, but Ren Yifei knew that it was Scarlet Witch's 'older sister' from the same parents.
She looks delicious, Ren Yifei thought to himself, then smeared his hands with lime powder and walked straight toward one of the largest golden energy souls.
Once they're fattened up, they can be slaughtered.
The energy of this thing was concentrated in his heart, and Ren Yifei was watching that spot.
The monster was surprised to find that Ren Yifei could resist the attraction of the golden thread. In that surprise, he missed the chance to avoid the hands covered in lime powder.
"Aaaaaah—" The monster melted like a wax figure when it was touched by lime. Its seemingly indestructible shell became real, and it could even feel a heartbeat.
"I am your..." Before the monster could finish speaking, the Scarlet Witch's sharp nails had already pierced his chest, and blood gushed out of the hole.
Ren Yifei looked at the pale gold blood on his finger and slowly smiled.
"It stinks." The words had barely left his lips when his finger pierced the hole, sinking directly into his heart. He was still smiling, a smile tinged with the cruelty and naiveté characteristic of animals.
"I am you…" The monster spat out a mouthful of blood, watching helplessly as the Scarlet Witch's blood-stained hand ripped a still-beating heart from his chest.
Thump, thump.
"Give it back to me..."
The monster took two steps, watching helplessly as its heart gradually turned to ash, dried up, and finally became something like cement.
Ren Yifei, who had absorbed too much energy, frowned as he suppressed the undigested energy in his body. With a gentle squeeze, he crushed the withered heart into powder.
"Ugh..." Ren Yifei covered his mouth, the excessive energy rampaging through his body, and even with his desperate attempts to compress it, there was still a huge amount left.
Just how many lives has this monster devoured?
Having lost its heart and all the stolen energy, the monster died, its body falling heavily to the ground and turning into a yellowed piece of paper with a tear in the center.
The gold threads surrounding the package players all scattered and disappeared, and they finally noticed what was in front of them.
"Killed by the Scarlet Witch?" The players were dumbfounded: Was the boss that strong? Then what was he so obsessed with?
The young lady, who was lying on the ground, slightly raised her head. She looked incredulous, as if she were in a dream.
"Ah!" The Scarlet Witch's low moan woke the young lady. She looked over and saw the Scarlet Witch clutching her arm, her calm expression shattered into a look of pain.
What happened? Everyone was confused.
But all that could be seen was a pale golden light flowing across his body, and golden threads gathered together, enveloping him completely and forming a cocoon.
The Scarlet Witch transformed into a new golden cocoon, with light flowing throughout the basement, and beneath the cocoon was something resembling a magic circle.
Samantha wanted to rush forward immediately, but he restrained himself, his nails almost digging into his palms, but his face remained nonchalant: "You must believe in him, you must believe in his abilities."
The young lady got up and picked up the torn piece of paper. The tattered scroll described a monster who devoured its own blood relative and unexpectedly became a monster.
This monster gained the power of its blood relatives through this behavior, becoming an immortal being.
It's just a very ordinary story about the birth of a monster, except for the last sentence:
"Break in enough energy to become king; sacrifice against one's instincts to bring hope to the world."
"I see." The young lady smiled and looked at the scarlet witch enveloped in a cocoon of light. Although there were still golden threads, they were simply wrapped neatly around the cocoon of light, and the light was gentle, unlike before.
This is the seed of hope hidden within a monster that only knows how to plunder.
The base leader had been planning for fifteen years, or even longer, to absorb the energy of monsters and humans, stepping on the skeletons of his predecessors, and ultimately become the king of monsters.
As for hope, he probably completely ignored it.
After the young lady read the paper, Saman and the handsome player also passed it around, and they finally understood the purpose of the base leader's planning all of this.
"So, when the Scarlet Witch appears, she'll be the queen of the monsters?" The handsome player was eager to try. If the 'ghost' successfully evolved in the dungeon, it would definitely be an SSR when it was captured.
No one will complain about having too few SSR characters, not even handsome players.
Besides, Scarlet Witch is so interesting and full of surprises.
So he was going to ascend the throne; Saman finally felt relieved. This was the first time he had ever seen a player achieve such a self-evolution, and it was quite a novel experience for him.
That said, this group of people seemed convinced that the Scarlet Witch was the 'ghost' they were looking for, and their feelings were complicated; they were the only ones who were sober in a world of drunkenness.
The first three to arrive possessed the most information and appeared completely composed, while the later arrivals, who were fortunate enough to escape unscathed, were utterly bewildered.
They stared at the cocoon of light, bewildered: "Is the Scarlet Witch inside? What happened? What are you waiting for?"
"Witness the birth of the King of Monsters." The handsome player smiled slightly; the Scarlet Witch was someone he was determined to have.
After ten minutes or more, the cocoon of light finally began to change.
One by one, the threads were peeled away, turning into golden spots and disappearing, revealing a slender human figure inside. However, it was not a boy, but rather a tall and thin one.
A crack appeared in the cocoon of light, and intense light shone through. The players covered their eyes or squinted to see.
The cracks multiplied and grew larger, and the light increased in quantity and brightness. In a moment, the cocoon of light shattered, golden fragments scattered, and light exploded, revealing a shadow formed of light standing in the very center.
A golden gem appeared before him.
The players stared at the golden gem and instinctively stepped forward, one sentence echoing in their minds: Steal it! Steal it!
No one recognized it, but upon seeing the golden gem, they understood its significance: this gem, containing immense energy and crowning the king of monsters, seemed to possess the power of some kind of rule.
Saman struggled to resist this urge to seize it; he had seen something similar in a cultivation instance and heard about it in a mythological instance.
Perhaps it's something like a divine essence or a law. If it could be taken out, it could probably become a remarkable item.
Even Saman was tempted by such props.
However, he remained rooted to the spot, forcing himself not to look at the golden gem.
Furthermore, neither the handsome player nor the young lady made any moves.
The handsome player already considered the Scarlet Witch as his for the taking, and naturally the golden gem as well, so he didn't make a move.
The young lady, on the other hand, was watching Scarlet Witch.
"Woo—" A deep, guttural cry came from afar.
Inside and outside the base, almost all the monsters raised their heads, vaguely sensing that a ruler had been born in their race.
Many tall shadows emerged from the sea mist, forming layers of dark shapes, all heading towards the base.
If humans were to witness this scene, they would surely be astonished.
They thought they had encountered all the monsters, but in reality, most of the monsters lurked in the depths of the sea. They didn't like to interact with humans and simply lived their lives quietly.
These monsters are more powerful and intelligent; they already know what has happened.
"What's wrong with the monsters? Why are they suddenly so agitated?" The people in the base were puzzled. They watched as the monsters raised their heads and howled, and then carefully got up from the ground.
So much happened that night: a monster siege, golden threads, a monster riot.
"Does humanity... still have a future?"
The basement at this moment.
The players rushed forward, but none of them touched the gem; they were all blocked by an invisible barrier.
"Give it to me, give it to me!" Driven by desire, the players revealed a terrifying side, their expressions a mix of ferocity and longing, all staring at the golden gem.
Do you want to take it with you?
Ren Yifei looked at the golden gemstone, and he hesitated.
But... this is not merely a jewel that brings glory; it is the hope that those seven forgotten monsters upheld with their lives. It is a solace for a desperate soul, tormented by pain time and again, yet refusing to give up.
If he takes it away, it's just a rare prop. But if it stays here, even if it's just a dream, it's a beautiful dream.
He loved beautiful dreams, and he loved hope. Ren Yifei finally made his decision.
Hope is truly the most beautiful thing in the world.
"After me, all living things."
A voice appeared in the ears of both humans and monsters; it seemed to come from a very, very far place, yet it poured directly into their souls.
"Your wish will be granted."
The golden gem shattered, turning into pure energy, which then transformed into some kind of law.
The monsters all looked up, watching the sudden shower of osmanthus blossoms falling from the sky.
That wasn't osmanthus, nor was it gold leaf; it was a kind of recognition.
"Woo—" The monsters that stopped in their tracks raised their heads and let out a cry. Then, as if they had received some kind of command, they all knelt down, one by one, row by row, and one by one, facing upwards to receive the baptism of golden light.
The world fell silent for a moment.
The humans in the base watched as a soft light enveloped the monsters, and a piece of paper slowly flew out of their bodies, shattering with a 'whoosh'.
From then on, they were no longer bound by predetermined fate; they were recognized by the world.
The golden dots also fell on humans, who were astonished to find that they, who had just aged, were regaining their youth.
"This must be a miracle." They got up from the ground, hugging their family and friends, feeling a sense of unreality, as if they had survived a disaster.
In the basement, the brilliance of the golden gem faded, and the embodiment of light gradually materialized.
A woman of goddess-like beauty stood in the center of golden light, her eyes closed.
Suddenly, his eyes opened—golden eyes. A burst of light erupted behind him, and snow-white wings slowly unfurled. A halo of light radiated outwards from him.
Before anyone could get a good look, the pair of pure white wings closed forward, enveloping the 'goddess's' body.
This is still the Scarlet Witch, but she's grown up.
He stood in the light, spotless from head to toe. His long, smooth, black hair spread out on the ground, obscuring some of his vital parts, and his skin was no longer deathly pale, but a lustrous, jade-like color.
Golden fragments reflected light, which slid down his rounded shoulders, skipped over his luminous wings, and fell along his straight, well-proportioned legs, turning into tiny specks of light at his toes.
In the dim light, elfin-like life emerged, fluttering its butterfly wings and swirling around him.
The breath of life flowed through him, and it also awakened those creatures sealed away by paper.
"Woo—" came the monsters' responses from the outside world. They stood up and sang, their long cries piercing the floor, as if celebrating a new era.
From then on, monsters could live openly in this world, move around during the day, and reproduce.
"A seed of love will grow from within a monster that is inherently bloodthirsty. When that seed sprouts and blossoms, he will become the king of monsters, granting them true life. Third Sister's prophecy…" The eldest young lady murmured, smiling.
"Do you see? You have no hope of getting what you've been waiting for?" A tear slid down her cheek.
Author's Note: Afei: Your obsession is my obsession. I will do everything in my power to help you soar high.