The underground mudweed farm was three times the size of Antonio’s house. The stone wall were yellow-ish and undecorated. More water dripped from cracks in the ceiling. The ground was covered in red corrupted mud.

The plants that sprouted from within looked withering and dying. They were almost entirely brown with a slight reddish tint on the tiny bulbs growing above the withering leaves. Whatever the plants were, they certainly didn’t look like any miracle ingredient.

Antonio wore the widest grin as he stepped onto the mud. He petted the first plant as if it were a newborn baby. Vivi considered escaping, but she watched from the side awkwardly. Antonio had claimed he knew of the way to the fifth level. Vivi still needed information out of him.

“Thank you, little one,” Antonio said. “You’ve grown so beautiful.” He put his hands together to pray, then cut off a bit from the mudweed plants.

He walked past Vivi, back to the weird lab. He placed the mudweed plants into the bowl and crushed it to bits. Ether powered his wrists; he used a lot of force to get the plants crushed and ground as thoroughly as he could. He grabbed a paint brush and a bottle of the yellow salve. He dipped the paint brush in the salve. Lastly, he smeared the paintbrush in the herbal crushing bowl. Mudweed bits stuck to his paintbrush.

His pupils were already getting dilated, breathing erratic in gluttonous excitement. He took the paintbrush and pressed it hard against a skinless spot on his face. He spread the salve all across, then rubbed it with his hands to get it even deeper.

The noises that came out of his mouth were some of the creepiest Vivi had ever heard from a demon. Antonio’s face grew even redder. Wisps of ether were flowing within his screwed up muscles, as if trying to push out. Vivi heard a subtle crack, and his face became even more open, bits of skin falling off.

“The most amazing medicine you will ever feel,” Antonio said, words emphasized by ecstatic breathing. “There’s no pain. No worries. Just me and mudweed.”

“That’s… cool,” Vivi said. She took a subtle step back.

“It’s expensive growing these plants,” Antonio said. “But as you are a special guest, I’ll offer you a try for free. Your skin is not yet peeled enough. That is okay. For your first time, your lips will work.”

Antonio prepared the paint brush again, filling it with mudweed bits. His eyes grew redder, and his face was crumbling. Bits of his skin fell into the herb crushing bowl.

“I appreciate the offer,” Vivi said. “But I will pass. I am not sick. I don’t need to be cured.”

“Oh, but mudweed will offer much more than just a cure for diseases,” Antonio said. He finished preparing the brush and pointed it at Vivi. “Fear not. Mudweed will cure us both.”

“No, I refuse,” Vivi said. She stepped back. “I am perfectly fine without.”

Antonio’s voice grew increasingly raspy and devilish. His aura grew to monstrous sizes; he was beyond maxed out. Not of any elevation. Rather, the ether that oozed out of him was rogue, dangerous. “Don’t be shy. Accept my gift.”

Vivi’s back touched the wall, and she decided she’d had enough. Abyss Destroyer appeared in her hands, and she filled herself with void ether. With enhanced strength, a slight push was all she needed to pin Antonio to the ground.

Antonio’s ethereal presence was odd. He almost seemed like a part of the blight. His face was especially bad. Mudweed turned his face into pure corruption.

The venerium blade pressed against his chest. Quickly, his corrupted aura was overpowered by venerium’s rot. The poison ran its effects. Soon, it would be a lethal amount.

Vivi had the urge to cut him open. This man was crazy. She felt stupid to have believed she could find a friend in this cursed forest.

No, Vivi told herself. I need his directions.

She pressed the venerium blade against Antonio’s face, at the parts where mudweed had been inserted. His ethereal presence changed. Just like venerium could overpower corrupted water, it could also cure Antonio from mudweed poisoning.

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He would probably die to venerium instead, though.

Vivi called off the void ether, and her ears were greeted with Antonio’s pained screeching. The researcher shouted, “Monster! Monster! AAAHH!”

“Antonio,” Vivi said, grabbing the man from his collar. “I can cure you. I just need some help first. Where is the fifth level?”

Antonio laughed like mad. His face looked even worse now, taken over by venerium’s void-like rot. “The exit? I’ll take you there. Outside my house.”

Vivi frowned at him. She let him go, but kept her sword summoned. Holding him could spread venerium poisoning to her as well. Surprisingly, the crazed man could still stand. He climbed up the stairs.

Vivi followed, climbing with one hand, sword pointing up in case Antonio tried something. She followed the man out of the house.

“Try to run and you’ll die,” Vivi said.

Antonio chuckled, then coughed. He kept walking, stumbling on every other step. “Oh, I won’t need to run. The exit is right here. The only exit to the fifth level.”

Antonio headed behind his house. He pushed the leaves and bushes out of the way, revealing an alcove within the forest. “Here it is.” He laughed again. “Boblin! We have visitors!”

Vivi slashed the leaves and bushes open with her runesword, fully revealing what was behind the alcove.

The sky opened up a hundred feet, forming a dome. The circular chamber-like patch of forest was filled with surprising amounts of colors. There were colorful flowers—not quite as vibrant as in Paradise, and their stems were still corrupted red, but it was miraculous to see any colors at all. Vines with a hint of green on them grew on the walls. In the middle was a small pond with a rock-like head poking out.

A lot of ether radiated from the room. An ominous air filled the air. Vivi felt like she was stepping into a boss arena. The area seemed to be enclosed in all directions but for the alcove Vivi was entering through. Antonio was definitely leading her to a trap.

Still, she stepped in. Trap or not, Vivi didn’t want to spend another day in the blight. If there was a slight chance that she’d get to the fifth level through here, she’d take it. If she died… Well, at least she wouldn’t have to keep searching for a way out.

“Boblin!” Antonio was shouting, almost screeching in pain, when Vivi entered. He shouted at the rock in the pond. “Boblin! Wake up!”

The rock rumbled. A gush of ether came out of it, as if a long breath had been let out. The rock slowly rose out of the water. Eyelids opened, revealing deep black ethereal eyes. The rock lifted out of the ground fully, revealing a giant lizard’s face.

“Food?” the giant lizard asked.

“Yes!” Antonio screamed in pain, venerium eating his face. “Food! That right there! Eat her, Boblin!”

Boblin, the giant lizard, studied Vivi. Ether flared out of its nostrils. The lizard wasn’t an amalgamation at all. It looked handsome compared to the monsters of the blight. Vivi wasn’t certain whether the lizard was a monster or an animal, but it was an ethereal being regardless. One that wielded thousands upon thousands of wisps.

“Vivi, that’s not a corrupted monster,” Lucius said. “It’s a real boss. We could kill it for a lot of ether. Possibly a skill as well.”

It can talk, Vivi thought in awe.

The monster didn’t seem to be hostile yet. It stared at Vivi. Then it turned to Antonio, who was screaming in pain.

“Friend Anto unwell?” the lizard said. Its resounding voice didn’t sound concerned. It sounded more like a statement of fact. Its mouth didn’t open as it spoke. Sounds came out of its nostrils. Its volume was as loud as Antonio’s screams.

Venerium’s rot was eating what was left of Antonio. He screamed, until the void ate his mouth. He had his eyes wide for a few seconds longer, until the man collapsed.

“Anto?” the lizard said. It poked Antonio with its nose and promptly noted, “Ahhh, Anto dead.”

The lizard turned to Vivi. “You kill Anto?”

“No,” Vivi said, shaking her head. “Anto die accident.”

“Mmmm,” the lizard said. “Anto crazy. Loud man.”

“Yes,” Vivi said. “Anto sad death. Very tragic.”

The lizard stared at Antonio for an uncomfortably long time. Then it said, “Anto food.”

It opened its mouth and ate Antonio in one bite. The man was still poisoned by venerium, purple rot filling his body. The lizard didn’t seem to mind. It ate Antonio. It munched a few times before downing the man in one gulp.

“You quiet,” the lizard said. “You no food. Boblin like. Name?”

“Vivi,” she said while pointing at herself. She didn’t know how many words Boblin could understand, but she figured she would fare better by speaking with as few words as she could. As long as the lizard was friendly, there was no need to kill it.

“Vivi down,” she said, pointing at the ground. “Level five. Journey down.”

Boblin appeared confused for a second, then it said. “Mmm. Boblin lead way. First, secret word.”

Secret word? Vivi thought. Is there a puzzle?

“We could just kill this stupid lizard,” Lucius said. “It has a lot of ether.”

Boblin seems nice enough, Vivi thought. Let’s see what it says if we get a wrong answer. If it gets mad, we’ll fight, I guess.

“Please take us to the fifth level, majestic lizard!” Vivi said with confidence. She bowed her head.

Boblin’s mouth opened slightly. “Ohh… Secret word. Boblin forget.”

It thought for ten seconds in silence, until something that sounded like a tired bah came out. “Secret word accept. Boblin forget.”

Then it turned around with heavy and clumsy steps. Water overflowed from the pond as it moved. It slid its tail to Vivi, then said, “Climb. Boblin take Vivi.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep