"Clang… clang…"
The sound of metal striking the ground drew closer and closer, almost right in front of him.
Caelan immediately closed his skill panel and stared warily toward the ruins ahead.
Something was wrong—very wrong.
Because whether it was the minor mobs on the outskirts or the World-Class Boss Valdrick standing before him, he had already killed them all.
So where was this sound coming from?
Instinctively, Caelan tightened his grip on his longsword with both hands.
At the same time, [Flashstep] hovered on the verge of activation. The moment anything went wrong, he would retreat without hesitation.
"Clang… clang!"
Accompanied by that grating noise, a massive figure gradually rolled into Caelan's view.
When he finally saw what it was, Caelan couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
What… what the hell is this thing?!
Right in front of him was an enormous lump of flesh mixed with black viscous fluid.
The meatball was over three meters in diameter—essentially a grotesque mass formed from severed limbs of mobs and shattered pieces of metal fused together.
The earlier "clang" sounds were simply the noise of metal scraping against the ground as the flesh mass rolled forward.
Caelan frowned and instinctively tried to inspect it.
[Name: Flesh Amalgam]
[Level: Unknown]
[Skills: Unknown]
[Description: Due to the invasion of an unknown force, the flesh of those who died miserably has gradually fused together. It has no consciousness and acts purely on instinct.]
Caelan's eyes narrowed sharply at the words "unknown force" in the description.
Though he had no proof, he strongly suspected that the strange changes in the surrounding white fog were also caused by this same "unknown force."
Since an anomaly had clearly occurred,
the safest course of action for Caelan was to return to Mylanne City first and reassess the situation.
He didn't use any skills.
Relying purely on swordsmanship, Caelan effortlessly defeated the [Flesh Amalgam], hacking it apart into pieces.
He flicked his longsword, sending large amounts of black slime splattering across the ground.
At the same time, notification messages popped up.
[You have gained EXP: 9,853]
[You have obtained a special item: Flesh Bud]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 34 and gained 20 attribute points!]
The moment he saw the experience gained, Caelan couldn't help but rub his eyes hard.
Wait… I'm not seeing things, am I??
It was just a single "small mob," yet it gave nearly ten thousand experience?!
Earlier, the metal mobs he'd been instantly killing only gave around two to three thousand EXP each on average.
That's more than triple the amount?!
And what's more—
The [Flesh Amalgam] itself wasn't even that strong.
Without using skills, it only took a few swings to kill—barely stronger than the metal mobs.
Thinking about this, Caelan looked at the remains of the [Flesh Amalgam] again.
Strangely enough, he no longer found it disgusting—he almost found it cute.
If everything around here were [Flesh Amalgams], that would be amazing!
Just then, Caelan suddenly noticed that the black slime on the ground was gradually merging with the blood mist.
Even more disturbingly, it seemed to come alive, flowing toward Valdrick's location.
At the same time, the black liquid that had been leaking from Valdrick's body also began merging with the surrounding blood mist—then flowing back into Valdrick.
This eerie scene left Caelan at a complete loss.
Even with all the books he had read, he had never encountered anything like this.
"Rumble—!"
Dark crimson lightning exploded across the sky, churning the blood mist violently.
Caelan jerked his head upward—and froze.
Th-that thing… what is it?!
Amid the flashing lightning, a colossal silhouette appeared faintly within the blood mist.
Caelan swore to the heavens that he had never seen such a gigantic monster in his life.
More than a hundred tentacles writhed faintly within the mist, and its body towered hundreds of meters high!
Before it, even lightning looked like thin little matchsticks.
When the light faded, everything plunged into darkness.
Caelan swallowed hard and instinctively tried to inspect it.
But the interface showed nothing at all—as if the creature didn't exist.
"Rumble—!"
Another bolt of lightning struck.
When Caelan looked into the depths of the blood mist again, the colossal being had vanished without a trace!
Everything seemed to return to normal, as though it had never appeared at all.
What the hell was going on?!
Just then, the ground beneath him suddenly began to shake violently.
It felt as if something massive was about to break out from underground.
At the same time, terrifying events were unfolding in every direction around Mylanne City.
The Crossrail Mountains.
The Rotten Marshes.
Watershine Lake…
Countless adventurers were left utterly stunned by what they saw.
"Damn it, what the hell is happening?!"
"Where is all this blood mist coming from?!"
"Look! The boss is breaking through the seal!!"
Those top-tier bosses that had once been hidden deep within their regions—only appearing after specific conditions were met—were now awakening on their own!
And worse…
They seemed to be fusing with the blood mist!
Mylanne City
Having received the reports, the city lord stood atop the city walls.
He gazed into the endless sea of blood mist, his face pale and grim, cold sweat sliding down his temples.
"Is the prophecy from the legends… truly about to come true?"
"Someone—go check on the High Archbishop immediately. See if there's any movement on his end!"
…
Old Macallen City
Caelan's gaze was locked firmly onto Valdrick before him.
As the blood mist continued to merge, Valdrick's shattered body began to reassemble itself.
The scene was horrifyingly grotesque.
Although Valdrick's torso retained its original shape, countless flesh buds began sprouting across his body's surface!
The flesh buds seemed alive, writhing wildly as they devoured the surrounding blood mist.
At the same time, raw flesh visibly began growing directly across Valdrick's body!
"ROAR!!!"
Valdrick suddenly let out a deafening howl and raised his arms, slamming his chest violently.
In the next instant, huge chunks of flesh exploded outward, splattering blood and foul-smelling gore everywhere.
Yet the blood didn't remain where it fell—it continued flowing back toward Valdrick's body.
Now, Valdrick looked as though his skin had been completely flayed away, a truly horrific sight.
"Destruction… destruction!"
"Kill me! Kill—kill!!"
Valdrick seemed to have lost all sanity, pounding his own body again and again.
He appeared to be completely unaware of Caelan's presence—or perhaps he simply didn't care.
Watching Valdrick's near-maddened behavior, a serious expression crept onto Caelan's face.
One thing was obvious—
The blood mist had fused with the boss.
But it also seemed that the boss did not welcome it.
Just as Caelan was thinking this through, Valdrick suddenly turned his head.
A pair of blood-red eyes locked tightly onto Caelan's.
"Redeem me!"