Chen Jie looked around the room carefully.
It was a complete mess.
Clothes and various items were haphazardly piled everywhere.
This… looked exactly like a shut-in's space.
Chen Jie stepped inside a few paces.
Immediately, he saw a greasy, overweight man sitting at a computer, chatting with a woman.
But… when he opened the video, the girl on the other end screamed.
"You're so ugly! How dare you show your face!"
"Get lost!"
"Figures, none of the people who play with their souls are ever handsome!"
…
After being scolded, the greasy man's face fell.
His whole body trembled as he spoke in a pitiful tone, "So only handsome people deserve to live in this world? People like me… should only exist in the sewers?"
After saying this, his body began to swell.
Rat fur grew chaotically over him, his flat mouth stretched into a sharp snout.
Fangs slowly sprouted from his upper jaw.
In a short time, he transformed into the rat-man Chen Jie had seen in the outside world.
I see.
This space must belong to the rat-man's memories before his mutation.
No wonder even the primordial clear-and-turbid energy couldn't break it.
This isn't an illusion at all.
Just as Chen Jie realized this, the rat-man's eyes began to bleed.
He slowly turned to look at Chen Jie.
"Is it that only handsome people like you deserve love? I don't! Speak!"
The rat-man's tone was nearly a roar.
It was clearly on the edge of losing control.
Chen Jie didn't answer, holding the Pangu Axe tightly, wary of any movement.
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Since it wasn't an illusion, it seemed to be within the scope of memory.
Yet this rat-man could truly see him.
This was very strange.
"Roar!"
Seeing no reaction from Chen Jie, the rat-man went berserk, tilting its head back to let out a roar.
Then it swung its claws and charged.
Chen Jie reacted swiftly, blocking with the Pangu Axe to the right.
However…
the rat-man's claws passed straight through the axe and grabbed him.
"Ding!"
A crisp sound echoed as the claws clamped onto Chen Jie.
His body was extraordinarily strong; ordinary weapons couldn't pierce him.
"He can hit me, but I can't hit him? This is too strange!"
Chen Jie was baffled.
Outside the domain, Chen Jie briefly fell into a daze.
The rat-man watched excitedly from outside as Chen Jie stiffened.
Since his mutation, no one—ordinary or awakened—had ever escaped his ability.
This was the true strength of this early-stage BOSS.
"Roar!"
The rat-man launched an attack while Chen Jie's body was rigid.
"Don't hurt Xiao Jie!"
Xia Wanrou surged with electricity, holding the Azure-Scaled Longsword, standing before Chen Jie.
Swearing to protect him with her life.
The rat-man ignored her and lunged to bite Chen Jie's throat.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Xia Wanrou swung repeatedly, summoning streaks of thunder.
The powerful lightning successfully blocked the rat-man's attack.
It was forced to step back two paces.
Being a grudge-type mutant, similar to Zhao Xiaolu earlier, it feared thunder.
However, it didn't consider Xia Wanrou a real threat.
After all, it had mid-third-tier Awakener strength.
Blocked, it glared at Xia Wanrou with resentment.
Suddenly…
it stood upright and lifted its belly.
Several small rats poked their heads out.
Each had cyan-green eyes, teeth exhaling green smoke.
This was one of the rat-man's talents:
[Poisonous Ratlings]: Can produce 3–10 venomous small rats, which will actively attack their target once identified.
Soon after opening its belly, the small rats locked onto Xia Wanrou.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
The rats charged like miniature missiles.
One bite, and Xia Wanrou could lose combat effectiveness.
But she wasn't foolish. She immediately summoned a mimic battle spirit.
The Azure Moon Serpent!
The little serpent had just appeared and hadn't yet bonded with its master.
It immediately noticed the small rats heading toward Xia Wanrou.
Seeing the threat, the Azure Moon Serpent hissed and opened its bloodthirsty jaws.
"Roar!"
Spinning once in the air, it devoured all the ratlings mercilessly.
Being naturally venomous, it was immune to the rats' poison.
"Well done, Xiaoyue!"
Xia Wanrou praised the Azure Moon Serpent happily.
Excited, the serpent nuzzled her wrist.
…
Inside the domain, Chen Jie dodged the rat-man's attacks while seeking a counterattack opportunity.
He couldn't physically strike the rat-man; this seemed like a phantom body.
Its true form remained outside.
Any damage it caused was likely mental in nature.
To counter mental attacks, Chen Jie could only rely on primordial clear-and-turbid energy.
"Let's try this!"
Chen Jie summoned the energy and infused it into the Pangu Axe.
"Why, why… am I unworthy!"
The rat-man roared in madness, releasing its emotions.
The primordial energy on the axe glowed with a strange light.
Chen Jie's initial attempt succeeded!
This weapon should work against phantom-type monsters…
Prepared, Chen Jie sharpened his gaze on the rat-man, immediately seizing an opening.
"Pangu Divides Heaven and Earth!"
He unleashed his power.
Instantly… tremendous energy radiated from the Pangu Axe.
A single swing cleaved space itself, striking the rat-man.
This time, the attack worked!
The axe sank halfway into the rat-man's body.
"Ahhh! How… how did you do that?"
The rat-man roared in disbelief, eyes wide at Chen Jie.
Its memory domain had killed many Awakeners before.
Few had ever escaped, let alone fought back!
After the Pangu Axe struck, primordial energy seeped into the rat-man, melting its body bit by bit.
Finally, it dissipated…