Chapter 56

" Tentacles?" Lumian was stunned for a second before he remembered how to define the thing that bound the mass of flesh.

He was well-versed in all the novels written by Aurore, having seen all the illustrations. Not only did he remember every cliché plot, but he also understood many things that he would not normally encounter, such as the tentacles of monsters.

Seven or eight deep black tentacles, covered in a fleshy membrane, entangled the mass of flesh, dragging it towards the ruins of a house on the side.

A figure emerged from behind the scattered stones.

It had a human-like appearance, bare from the waist up and barefoot, wearing only a pair of black trousers.

Unlike humans, it had no head, with only a stump of a neck. The cross-section of the neck was covered in sharp teeth arranged in a spiral pattern, and within the gaps of the teeth, the red flesh was clearly visible.

It was as if someone had replaced their head and half of their neck with a strange mouth, a sight that made the "beheading expert" Lumian shake his head repeatedly, unable to find a place to strike.

The seven or eight deep black tentacles, covered in a fleshy membrane, extended from the edges of the monster's "mouth" and quickly dragged the mass of flesh to the front, lifting it up.

The "mouth" at the monster's neck opened wide, like a blooming trumpet flower.

The sharp white teeth bit into the mass of flesh, swallowing it whole in a manner similar to a snake eating its prey.

Seeing this, Lumian silently sneered.

"I thought you didn't need to eat to survive, but it turns out you still need to feed..."

He then fell into deep thought.

"The most common things in this ruin should be monsters, and there must be very little to eat...

"That means some monsters feed on other monsters, like what just happened, or everyone is both a hunter and prey...

"If I encounter a monster I can't defeat, is it possible to lure it to another monster, let them hunt each other, and then take advantage of the situation?

"In theory, it's possible, but it seems very dangerous. Who knows if the monsters will team up to get rid of me first..."

As he pondered, Lumian noticed that the chest of the monster, which used its "mouth" as its head and neck, began to swell and contract, as if it was undergoing intense digestion.

This caught Lumian's attention and made him notice something unusual about the monster's bare upper body.

On its left chest, right chest, and below the neck, there were black marks similar to seals.

"This..." Lumian's pupils involuntarily widened, trying to see more clearly.

He had seen similar marks on the body of the parish priest!

It was at the end of the Lenten celebration, when the parish priest's body swelled and burst through his clothes, revealing the black marks!

After careful examination, Lumian confirmed that the three seal-like black marks on the monster were of the same type as those on the parish priest:

They were composed of unique characters and strange symbols, as if connecting to an indescribable other world.

The difference was that the parish priest had at least eleven or twelve, while this monster had only three.

"What is the purpose of these black marks? Are they marks left by some hidden existence? The more marks, the greater the blessings?" Lumian observed with confusion and bewilderment.

He tried hard to remember the characters and symbols that made up one of the marks, but since they were things he did not recognize, he could not remember them immediately. He did not have paper and a pen to sketch them.

The monster finally finished digesting the mass of flesh. It moved its arms and shook the seven or eight deep black tentacles covered in a fleshy membrane.

The mark below its neck glowed slightly, and a buzzing sound resonated from its chest.

The sound grew louder, like a gust of wind raging through a beehive, entering and exiting one hollow after another.

The trumpet-like "mouth" opened wide, and the buzzing sound became even more noticeable.

Lumian found the sound extremely annoying, wishing he could punch the monster.

"Do you know how terrible this sound is?"

In the turmoil of his blood and qi, Lumian felt a surge of anger rising from his heart to his head.

He suddenly became impulsive, raised his hunting rifle, and, bypassing the stones that concealed his figure, jumped down from the half-collapsed roof.

Bang!

Lumian landed on the ground, facing the monster's blood-red, spiral "mouth" filled with sharp teeth, looking at each other.

Lumian, who was about to angrily call the monster a boar, instantly calmed down, feeling a sense of confusion and helplessness as if he had been forced onto the stage.

The monster's blood-red "mouth" was aimed at him, no longer making any sound.

"Can I say, sorry, it's a misunderstanding?" Lumian muttered softly.

He suspected that the noise had a problem, making him lose his reason and jump out of his hiding spot, attempting to attack!

But since the incident had already occurred, apologizing would be of no use. He had only two choices: fight or flee.

Based on Lumian's experience, trying to escape directly at this moment would most likely be impossible. The monster was unharmed and ready, raising its seven or eight tentacles.

Therefore, if he were to flee, he would have to fight first and look for an opportunity.

Without hesitation, Lumian, who had just regained his reason, raised his hunting rifle, which was already loaded with lead shot.

Bang!

The monster clearly did not expect such a decisive and swift attack and lacked understanding of the hunting rifle. It did not have time to dodge and was hit by the multiple lead pellets that burst out, striking its body directly.

"Ah!"

Its spiral "mouth" filled with sharp teeth instinctively opened, emitting a cry of pain. Its chest became a bloody mess in several places, including where the black mark on the right side was located.

However, the black mark, as if carved into the blood and flesh, remained clearly visible, unaffected by the state of the wound.

Lumian did not have time to savor the monster's cries. As soon as he fired, he immediately moved to a new position and reached into his waist bag to retrieve new lead shot.

Just as he was about to aim at the target again, the black mark on the monster's left chest glowed slightly.

The human-like creature with a giant "mouth" for a head and half a neck disappeared.

It vanished right before Lumian's eyes!

Ran away? Invisibility? Lumian sought answers from the various novels written by Aurore and the esoteric knowledge she had taught him.

He quickly looked around, but the monster seemed to have truly disappeared into thin air.

This unprecedented scene and difficulty made Lumian a bit flustered, and he instinctively took a few steps back, trying to escape the area.

Suddenly, his ankles tightened, and he lost his balance, being flipped upside down.

The deep black tentacles, covered in a fleshy membrane, appeared in the air, wrapping around Lumian's legs and lifting him into the air.

The monster also reappeared, not far from Lumian's side.

At this moment, the black mark on its right chest glowed, and its spiral "mouth" filled with white sharp teeth opened to its maximum, revealing its bloody interior, as if it intended to use the tentacles to swallow Lumian whole.

An indescribable stench emanated from the "mouth," making Lumian, who was hanging upside down, feel a bit dizzy.

What met his eyes was the bloody flesh and countless white sharp teeth of the "mouth."

He quickly reacted, aiming his hunting rifle at the monster's "mouth" before a tentacle could wrap around his arm.

Bang!

The monster let out another cry of pain, its "mouth" filled with flying flesh and blood, and lead shot everywhere.

It violently threw Lumian away, its body quickly becoming transparent and disappearing again.

Lumian landed with a thud, rolling several times before standing up, focusing on finding the monster's trace.

The next second, he sniffed, sensing a strong bloody smell rapidly approaching.

Without time to think about what it meant, he lunged in the opposite direction.

At his original position, the deep black tentacles, covered in a fleshy membrane, emerged from the air but did not wrap around anything.

A few meters away, the monster reappeared, its spiral "mouth" wide open, as if waiting for food.

Lumian quickly reloaded his hunting rifle, but the black mark on the monster's left chest glowed, and it disappeared from his sight again.

Invisibility, it's definitely invisibility! Lumian instantly made a judgment.

Based on his previous encounter, he believed that this invisibility could not conceal the smell and would fail once it entered an attack state.

Realizing this, Lumian felt more confident and mocked himself:

"Can't even hide the smell, what kind of invisibility is that?"

Tracing various clues was a strong point of a "Hunter."

No longer flustered by the encounter, Lumian calmed down and began to observe his surroundings as he moved around.

Soon, he saw the monster's footprints and smelled its bloody and foul odor.

Using these clues, he repeatedly avoided the monster's attacks and hit it with his hunting rifle multiple times.

However, the monster seemed to have no vital points and only became weaker after being shot multiple times.

Seeing his lead shot running low, Lumian's mind raced, thinking about what to do.

In just a few seconds, he had an answer:

On his way, he had not forgotten to observe the environment and had found several natural traps that could be used against the monster, one of which was suitable for the current situation.

Seeing two shallow footprints appear not far away, Lumian turned and ran.

The deep black tentacles, covered in a fleshy membrane, missed again.

Lumian ran and stopped intermittently, looking back to ensure the monster did not give up the chase and to prepare for evading attacks.

Buzz!

The "noise" from the monster's chest reached Lumian's ears again, making him extremely angry and eager to stop running and turn around to attack the monster with an axe.

Fortunately, he remembered that his goal was to kill the monster, and this was not a true escape. His anger and frustration did not change his plan but only made him more determined.

Thud, thud, thud!

Lumian finally saw the half-collapsed building.

He rushed inside, came to the edge on the other side, and stopped there, pretending to be in ambush.

Soon, shallow footprints appeared in the half-collapsed building, and the smell of blood and foul odor grew closer to Lumian.

Lumian estimated the distance of the tentacles, took two steps back, and raised his axe, chopping at a stone pillar that was about to collapse.

Then, he kicked the stone pillar hard and rolled backward.

The half-collapsed building, already in a fragile state, could no longer support itself and collapsed with a loud crash.

Crash! A large amount of heavy stones fell, completely filling the space inside that was previously passable.

The monster, which was hiding and preparing to attack, let out a fierce cry.

Its cry lasted less than a second before abruptly stopping.

PS: Thank you, Xingzhou Lan and Shu You 20230108160739852, for the silver alliance donation.