The creature that awaited them was grotesque. It wasn’t made of flesh and bone like ordinary beings but of a black, writhing goo. From its back sprouted wriggling tentacles, and at the center of its mass, there was a disturbingly human-like figure with hollow eyes and a gaping mouth.

William felt an eerie chill run down his spine as he locked eyes with it. For a moment, he could swear the creature was staring directly into his soul.

“What… what is that thing?” Victoria stammered, her voice trembling with fear as she instinctively stepped back.

Professor Asir, already overwhelmed by the horrors of the fissure, slowly retreated toward the exit. Fear gripped him, and the memories of the lost students weighed heavily on his heart.

Yet, Sarah and William stood their ground, their eyes fixed on the creature. Unlike the others, they felt a strange pull toward the monstrosity.

“What do we do now?” Sarah asked, her voice steady despite the tension. She pointed toward the shimmering portal behind the creature. “That portal… it might lead to the missing students.”

William’s heart pounded. The creature was blocking their only way forward. Running wasn’t an option.

“Asura,” William called out mentally, “What the hell is this thing?”

“I don’t know,” Asura replied, her tone laced with unease. “But I can sense an ancient energy radiating from it. Be careful.”

And it was at that moment that the grotesque creature tried to communicate with William once more. But this time, he was able to respond.

“We finally meet, chosen one. What do you think of our home? It was once one of the greatest places in the world, and now it’s ruined and overrun with the undead…”

The creature was referring to the Forbidden Zone, which had once been the domain of demons but was now controlled by the Liches and other skeletal beings who sought to establish their own kingdom.

“What are you?” William asked mentally.

“I am like you,” the creature replied, “but I was forced to use too much power and ended up becoming this… monstrosity. I have only a fragment of my sanity left, and I can only hold on to it when I encounter other demons.”

William had heard it before—that he was the chosen one and that his demonic blood was purer than others. But what did that truly mean?

“Where are the students who came here?” William inquired.

“Unfortunately, I devoured them… I swear I didn’t want to, but I am no longer human. I had to do it to protect the portal.”

The portal! The creature was undoubtedly referring to the strange portal that stood just a few steps away. William’s eyes had already been drawn to it several times. He was desperate to know where it led.

William had already noticed that the creature answered all his questions without hesitation, so he decided to ask everything he wanted to know.

“What is this portal? Where does it lead?”

“This portal leads to where our people, the demons, now reside. It’s an island far out in the ocean. You should go there. They’re facing some serious trouble…”

“What!?”

This was something William hadn’t expected. According to the information he had, the demon race had been nearly wiped out, with only a few descendants scattered across the world.

That was one of the reasons he was trying to use his SSS skill to find the demons in the past when they were still alive.

But it seemed everything he knew was wrong. The demons were actually still alive!

“Do you think they’ll accept me there?” William asked.

The creature let out a dark chuckle. “Of course. They even accepted a guy named Kier who came here without a demonic bloodline but with one of our ancient books. I believe by now they’ve already granted him a demonic lineage.”

“Kier was here?”

“You know him?”

“Yes, that bastard left me to die.”

“Well, you two can settle that inside.”

“William, are you alright?” Sarah asked.

Her voice was firm but laced with concern. She had noticed how William had frozen in place, his eyes locked onto the grotesque creature before them. Of course, she had no way of knowing that he was deep in conversation with it.

“I’m fine,” William finally said, shaking off the trance. “But I don’t know if we can win against this thing.”

The creature exuded power. It wasn’t just a mindless monster; it was an entity with purpose. Its very existence was tied to protecting the portal behind it, and no guardian of such a thing would be weak. The sheer malice radiating from its twisted form sent chills through even the bravest of them.

William turned his thoughts back to the creature.

“Can you fight against us? Make it look like you trapped me here—Victoria too—but force Sarah to leave?”

The creature’s many eyes seemed to glow with a sickly light as it considered his words. “That woman… she is different. Are you certain you want her to know this place exists? If she escapes, she could bring forces that threaten everything. I may have to destroy the portal if it comes to that.”

William clenched his fists. He was trapped in a dilemma. Sarah was strong—she would never back down from a fight unless forced to. And she was a good person, someone who had treated him with respect. The thought of killing her didn’t sit well with him.

But the portal… it was his only chance to reach the demons. His only chance to truly understand who he was.

“Let her live,” William decided. “I’ll go through the portal with Victoria. I want to give her a demonic bloodline too.”

The creature let out a deep, guttural chuckle. “Interesting… Very well. Then let’s make this look real.”

The fight ended far quicker than William had expected. The creature’s tentacles lashed out toward Sarah with blinding speed, giving her no time to react. Before she could even raise her weapon or take a step back, they had already wrapped around her, locking her in place.

At the same time, another set of tentacles shot toward William. He tried to dodge, but it was useless—the creature was too fast, too precise. The slimy appendages coiled around his arms and torso, immobilizing him completely.

It was all part of the act. The creature wanted to make the struggle look real, as if they actually had a chance.

“I—I can’t move,” Sarah stammered, her voice edged with frustration.

William struggled against the tightening grip, but it was no use. “Me neither,” he muttered

The creature’s remaining tentacles shot out with terrifying speed, wrapping around Victoria and William before they could react. Its grip was ironclad, pulling them closer to its grotesque, pulsating body. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the creature’s voice echoed through the cave, hoarse and chilling.

“I’ll devour them,” it hissed, its tone dripping with malice, “and you will watch.”

Sarah’s eyes widened in horror as the creature began to secrete a thick, black goo from its body. The substance spread rapidly, engulfing William and Victoria until they were completely submerged. To Sarah, it looked as though they had been consumed, their forms disappearing into the inky darkness.

“Noooo!” Sarah screamed, her voice raw with desperation. She struggled against the creature’s grip, but it was no use. The tentacles held her firmly, forcing her to witness the horrifying scene.

The creature’s voice was cold and mocking as it addressed her. “I’ll let you live,” it said, “so that you can leave with this sight in mind.”

With a sudden, brutal motion, the creature squeezed Sarah, the pressure overwhelming her. Her vision blurred, and the last thing she saw was the black goo swallowing William and Victoria whole. Then, everything went dark.

The creature tossed Sarah’s unconscious body toward the cave’s exit, where Asir, the professor, was waiting. He caught her with surprising agility, his expression grim. Without a word, he turned and ran, carrying Sarah away from the cave and into the safety of the forest. He didn’t look back, his only focus on getting her to safety.

Back in the cave, the creature retracted the black goo, revealing William and Victoria unharmed. The substance dissolved into the air, leaving no trace of its presence.

“How was the act?” the creature asked, its voice now calm and almost… playful.

William gave it a thumbs-up, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Pretty good,” he said. “You had me convinced for a second.”

Victoria, however, was completely bewildered. She stared at the creature, then at William, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. “What the fuck is going on?” she demanded, her voice rising. “Are you… friends with this thing?”

William chuckled, though there was a hint of guilt in his expression. “It’s a long story,” he said. “But yeah, we’re… acquainted.”

“Well, then explain it to me,” Victoria demanded.

William then shared everything he talked mentally with the creature, and Victoria simply loved the idea of exploring a different place.

“Let’s go through the portal, then. I want to go there!” she said.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep