Returning to silent nothingness, the soul wove itself together again, like the new fire of nirvana, gradually solidifying.
In the Dark Forest shrouded in silence, his figure reappeared.
The air was oppressive, carrying a faint stench of blood, wrapped in endless resentment and hatred, echoing with howls. This place was practically hell.
But these were all just illusions.
Fantasy and reality—Linge was still struggling to distinguish between them.
He thought that this place was actually quite good, a perfect spot to run wild.
He had recognized his true nature as a monster, so he and this place were a match made in heaven.
Perhaps this was his destination, perhaps this was his end. Monsters belonged in places like this.
Running wildly without sound or direction.
Death was not a cool summer night, but a scorching wasteland.
He was a prisoner, and he would use every means necessary to seize freedom, even if it meant transforming into the most vicious monster and taking everything!
After a series of twists and turns, he stood before the signpost again.
[The north leads to a ruined village full of spores; the west leads to Andoru City.]
"Looking at it now, it seems like this sentence was guiding me toward Andoru City from the start. After all, anyone sane would think a Spore Village isn't a good place..."
As Linge murmured, his thoughts cleared, and a certain realization quietly sprouted.
"But this might also mean that Andoru City is more dangerous than the Spore Village."
Andoru City, bearing the name of a city, means that in any region, a city is the core area. In other words, this place holds the answer to all the mysteries!
But... Little Red Riding Hood... will he see her again?
He raised the knife in his hand, as if declaring that everything he had experienced was not a dream.
"This thing can come back with me too. How convenient..."
Looking at the weapon in his hand, Linge felt a little comforted.
Since he had returned to the starting point... he might as well walk the path he took before.
Dodging the monsters, he followed the western direction and arrived at the long bridge again. On the other side of the bridge, monsters stirred, and the chilling scene still sent shivers down his spine.
"Is it an illusion... I feel like I can kill them all now."
This was truly baffling. Based on Linge's rational assessment, he didn't possess the ability to kill these monsters.
But... maybe he could... if he ate them all... After all, monsters die at the hands of stronger monsters... As long as he ate them... Linge's face darkened, his eyes gloomily flowing with dangerous light, like a vulture, like a wild dog, ravenous.
No!
Linge immediately grabbed his own neck, clamping down hard, and only released after a moment.
He stumbled back a few steps, gasping for air.
Just barely... Indulging desire is a top-down fall, and it will inevitably descend into the abyss, filling the chasm until everything is squeezed out. In this way, he would become... the greatest monster.
That won't do.
"Hey, idiot."
A cool and familiar voice sounded in his ear, and Linge froze on the spot.
"It's me."
Linge found his emotions in turmoil, unsure if it was joy or fear. He neither spoke nor moved. Soon, glowing dust fell upon him.
His figure vanished. His hand was taken, and he was led toward the tall tower.
He returned to that room once more.
"Wait a minute, why are we coming here?"
After leaving the invisible state, Linge voiced his confusion.
This place wasn't safe, which Gaul's previous appearance had proven.
"After all, a mirror is an indoor object."
Saying this, Little Red Riding Hood pulled out a small hand mirror.
Mirrors themselves are whimsical objects and have a magical quality, making them perfectly suitable as a medium for magic.
But surely the mirror Little Red Riding Hood was holding could be used outdoors too?
Although he really wanted to retort, Linge maintained his silence.
Waiting until he noticed something unusual, Linge finally took his gaze off the girl's face.
Different sceneries overlapped.
A sensation of floating appeared, like falling, like ascending, and even more intensely, a loss of direction, as if about to be lost in chaotic space-time.
But the unease in his heart was quickly soothed. It was something held in his hand, fingers intertwined, being tightly grasped.
The girl just looked at him quietly.
"Please look at me."
Looking at her... those stubborn, determined, slightly spirited eyes—
They belonged to her, eyes unique to a human being.
Bright as the most brilliant star in the dark night... The girl seemed like a distant star, yet she stood clearly before him, so fervent, so dazzling.
Like the Goddess of Venus, she was truly a brilliant star.
How silly, truly... It wasn't until his mind caught up that he noticed the surrounding scenery had changed at some unknown point; he was back in the prison cell again.
"We've arrived."
Hearing the girl's voice, Linge hastily withdrew his hand. He subconsciously scratched his head, looked away, and asked, "This mode of transport is really convenient. Have you considered becoming an interdimensional merchant?"
Uh, Linge himself didn't know what nonsense he was babbling.
"No."
Little Red Riding Hood replied flatly. In fact, what Linge said was very straightforward and imaginative, but since she constantly dealt with monsters, it would be difficult for her to become a so-called merchant.
She walked over to the second mirror on her own, which reflected a lake surface.
Oh, the magnificent adventure is about to begin again.
He felt both anticipation and nervousness.
Linge was eager to try, following with a smile on his face.
"You seem to have gotten stronger."
At this moment, Little Red Riding Hood suddenly said.
"What?"
Linge frowned, looking at the girl's back.
"Just a feeling."
Little Red Riding Hood stopped. She looked back at Linge, and her expression suggested certainty rather than doubt.
This also meant that, in the girl's view, Linge had truly become stronger.
Could it be... Gaul?
"Let's go."
Little Red Riding Hood didn't give him much time to think. She touched the mirror surface and vanished before Linge's eyes.
Soon, Linge quickly followed suit.
When he opened his eyes again, the bright sunlight nearly blinded him.
Here... he took a moment to adjust.
Birdsong and cicadas chirped in his ears, and a warm breeze swept past, making it feel like a southern resort island. For a moment, Linge felt a sense of unreality.
He calmed down and looked around, noticing a huge lake in the distance, while the surrounding trees were still very dense, not looking like a place people could easily pass through.
It seems the theme of this place is a lake. Will there be a Sword in the Lake or something?
Tsk, being a king or not doesn't matter, but it's really hard to refuse shouting 'Excalibur'!
Snapping back to his senses, Linge scanned the area and finally saw Little Red Riding Hood's figure.
She stood quietly on the far side of the lake. The lake surface was still, and so was she.
Linge followed her.
"Are we planning to vacation here?"
Facing the sun, Linge stretched. His mood was lifted by the sunlight, and his already handsome face bore a slight smile, completely dispelling his previous distressed appearance.
"Oh?"
Little Red Riding Hood gave him a meaningful look.
"Let's save the leveling up and monster-slaying drama for later, okay? Combining work and rest is the scientific and reasonable way to progress!"
Linge cautiously negotiated. He glanced at the lake surface, thinking it would be a great pity not to explore such beautiful scenery.
At that moment, Little Red Riding Hood signaled him to look toward the lake edge. Linge turned his head and saw a fish flopping onto the shore.
It was a merman—or more accurately, a mermaid, a mermaid with half her body rotted away.
It lunged over.
"Oh, hell!"
Linge was in no mood for this now. He grabbed Little Red Riding Hood and ran.
But ahead, a line of crabs crawled up. They all had huge pincers, presumably possessing immense grip strength—crushing a few skulls would definitely be easy!
"What the hell is this!"
Faced with the danger of being attacked from both sides, Linge was genuinely startled.
"Move."
A voice came to his ear, and Linge reacted immediately, diving to the side.
A long Fire Dragon rose up, instantly sweeping over. As the fiery wind passed, the crabs before them steamed, and a tempting aroma filled the air.
What the heck was that!
"And you!"
Linge held a knife in his hand. He turned his head to look at the rotting merman and gave a cold smile.
He was just accustomed to avoiding conflict, which didn't mean he had no temper.
Time for a massacre!
The blade slid rapidly. It looked powerful but was actually haphazard. But even a trained expert would call the police upon seeing a knife-wielding thug, let alone Linge, a young man of 178 centimeters, facing only a weak woman... monster.
That's right! It was a monster!
Linge first punched the merman's intact half-face, causing it to briefly lose consciousness, then immediately followed up with a knife plunged into its chest cavity!
Then two more stabs! Three more! Four stabs... Hahahaha!
...
The more blood splashed, the more excited Linge became, celebrating wildly as if suddenly freed from shackles.
"Enough!"
His hand was harshly grabbed, followed by a loud slap, leaving a small handprint on Linge's face.
He turned his dull eyes to look at the girl beside him, remaining silent. He looked exactly like a stubborn adolescent who refused to admit he had done wrong.
"You were right, we should rest for a while. You must be tired, too, right? So, as you said, let's 'combine work and rest'."
Faced with Linge's appearance, Little Red Riding Hood felt she had no better way to handle it than to try and reason with him.
Linge offered no opinion. After rational analysis, he agreed that she was indeed right. It was just that his face... stung fiercely.
"Wash your hands first."
The girl instructed.
So Linge walked to the water's edge and washed his hands. Afterward, he scooped up water and splashed it on his face. Wiping the water away, he looked at his constantly shifting reflection on the surface.
"What... what happened to me?"
He shouldn't be like this.
The Linge whose dream was to become a writer should have been dressed sloppily, an unsociable gloomy person, a fantasist with a bit of dark humor... and certainly not a supervillain who commits crimes in Gotham City every night.
Yes, if he were Linge, he naturally wouldn't be like this, entering a state of frenzy for the sake of killing.
But what if he wasn't?
After all, Linge, the human, wouldn't resurrect.
So ultimately, his current existence could only be considered a monster that merely believes itself to be 'Linge'.
"I am a monster."
Linge stated this calmly. Perhaps this was what he had been avoiding all along.
It was precisely because of this—his cognitive dissonance, anxiety, and lack of self-identity—that he so desperately craved finding living people.
But was that... truly the case?
"I imagine monsters need to eat too, right?"
The girl's calm voice sounded in his ear, fitting the moment almost too perfectly.
"Mm, yeah. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything in ages. I really miss Mapo Tofu, Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, Braised Pork... These are all my specialty dishes!"
Linge turned around, a gentle smile on his face. He listed the dishes, and didn't forget to boast about himself afterward.
"What are those?"
Little Red Riding Hood expressed confusion regarding the terms Linge had mentioned.
"Simply put, they are foods made from meat and vegetables processed through various methods like frying, deep-frying, stir-frying, and braising."
Linge was very confident about his hometown cuisine, so even if the descriptive words sounded too plain and 'low', he felt it was just a humble way of speaking.
However, it seemed a bit too humble, so he started to elaborate.
"Of course, it's not as simple as just saying it. Meat often needs to be marinated, and many vegetables must be blanched before being put in the wok. If you add broad bean paste, you have to be careful with the salt quantity, and tossing the wok is really tiring, so I usually just do it symbolically..."
"It sounds very reliant on tools and spices."
Linge's stream of chatter was successfully interrupted by this sentence. He looked at the girl helplessly.
Typical of you, always hitting the nail on the head.
"Regardless, those are things you look forward to, right?"
The girl's calm words always brought Linge a small measure of quiet comfort.
Following this, she picked up a huge crab claw. Orange-red and glowing white were interwoven, and faintly, he could see the pale crab meat. The persistent fragrance surrounding them came from this.
"Do you want it? I only have this."
She handed the crab claw to Linge.
"How could I ask for more?"
Linge took the item from her hand.
Sunlight filtered through Little Red Riding Hood's hair. The girl was as stubborn and indifferent as ever, yet inexplicably... she hid a trace of cuteness.
Was it an illusion? She seemed to smile.