Footsteps were resounding on the solid ground as if something heavy kept hitting again and again, and Yue Yue felt her head spinning with dizzy, splitting headaches.
She could not understand anything. Her whole body felt like it was in pain; every part was aching and burning.
And why… why did she feel like she was actually dangling from a tree?
Her head was hanging downwards, and with every movement her whole body jerked slightly. For a stupid second she even thought, did the tree start walking? Did she get injured so badly that she can't even tell what is happening?
Her eyes were still tightly closed, but the shaking wasn't stopping. Every jolt made her arm bump against something hard, and with each impact she heard more thump-thump-thump.
Soon rough and loud voices drifted around her.
"This is the fourth time the Duke had a spiritual riot. What are we going to do? He's already having so many episodes. I'm afraid that in no time, he will really become an Degenerade Beast," one man said anxiously.
Degenerade Beast? She tried to wrap her mind around those words, but everything was foggy, floating. And also...how could a tree talk?
Another man sighed and replied, "But what can we do? He is one of the most powerful beastmen, but he still doesn't have a female. It's inevitable he will have episodes, showing signs of degeneration. There's no one to comfort his spiritual sea."
The first one sighed louder. "It's true. But what can we say? The future of males is always like this. They can do nothing without females. But there are so few females in our whole empire that even our Duke, already at the top level, still can't find one, let alone us."
Both of them sighed at that cruel reality.
Another voice suddenly whispered, "But still… the Duke is an SSS-rank beastman; he could at least afford this F-level female." His finger pointed at the girl lying unconscious on the man's shoulder.
"Right. We poor Orcs can't even afford that," the first replied.
"Ah! The Winged Serpent Clan is so rich," another man said bitterly. "They couldn't get a high-level female, but they can still afford this one. It's such a pity for such a beautiful girl to die like this. They're sending her to him when he's still in a frenzy. I'm sure he will definitely kill her."
"Such a beautiful girl too…" they sighed together.
Yue Yue felt her heart freeze. What are they saying? Why are these words so unfamiliar? Where is she? Did she get kidnapped? And what is SSS rank? What are these new terms? Not new...everything is new!
Why was her head lifting and dropping like this...did they beat her?
Before she could think further, she heard a long sliding sound. It didn't sound like a door she knew. It was a strange sliding sound.
The two men started arguing again.
"I'm not going further inside," one said firmly. "The entire zone is dangerous, filled with polluted beasts. Let's drop her here."
"But we're ordered to deliver this female right in front of the Duke," the man carrying her complained.
"Are you stupid?" The other snapped. "Do you actually want to go in front of him? Just by looking, he could rip us apart in a second before we even realize it. I'm telling you, the best idea is to leave her here on the 19th floor. The Duke is already on the 20th floor. I'm not going upward!"
The man carrying her sighed cowardly. "Fine, but I'm not going alone if you're not going. But what if this female gets devoured by the polluted beasts?"
"That's not our fault," the other insisted coldly. "We delivered her. Whether she dies from mutated beasts or in his hands, it's her fate. Just drop her."
The man carrying her hesitated; he was truly conflicted. But then...
A deep thumping sounded nearby. Followed by a faint roar.
"That's a polluted beast roar!" one of them shouted. "It's far but coming closer...let's hurry!"
"Okay, okay!" the carrier panicked, dropping Yue Yue on the cold floor hurriedly.
The door slid again with a loud metallic scrape.
Footsteps ran away in terror, fading quickly.
Yue Yue wanted to look...wanted to scream at them to stop, to take her back, to not leave her here, but she couldn't even lift a finger. Her body was like stone. Her eyelids felt glued shut.
She tried to sense her surroundings, tried to feel anything, but everything was heavy and numb.
But the place she was lying on… it didn't feel like hard dirt. It wasn't the forest floor she remembered before she died. There were no leaves, no wet soil, and no branches. The surface was smooth, icy, and unfamiliar.
Then where was she? Who were those people who carried her here? What happened after she got injured?
Her thoughts were messy and weak.
Just then...
Ding!
[Sucessfully Binding with the host]
A clear mechanical sound echoed inside her skull.
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully arriving in the Interstellar Beast World.]
Yue Yue's mind went completely blank.
What? Instant what? Beast world? Host?
Before she could even process that line, another notification blasted her thoughts.
Ding!
Mission Panel Activated!
Main Quest:
Survive for 24 hours inside the Skyscraper Tower.
Current Floor: 19
Danger Zone Rating: 86% lethal
Yue Yue's pulse jumped even though her body couldn't move.
Another line appeared in her mind slowly, like a horror movie subtitle:
Mission Details: Handle the First Villain..."Han Soi."
Objective: Bring the SSS-rank Beastman out of his Frenzied State without dying.
Time Limit: 24 Hours
Reward: Temporary Life Stabilization + memories of this world
Failure Punishment: Death (Permanent)
Yue Yue wanted to scream. She wanted to ask who Han Soi even was.
Villain? Frenzy? Beastman? Stress… what? Is this some kind of joke?!
She tried to lift her hand, even a little, but her arm felt like a rock weighing her down.
The system beeped again, mercilessly.
Warning: Polluted Bee Swarm approaching. Estimated arrival: 8 minutes.
Host Status: Completely helpless. Body Paralysis Level...97%.
Recommendation: Pray.