NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6 - A Dark Night for Monster Battles
Chapter Six: A Dark Night for Monster Battles
The spider monsters appeared entirely uninterested in his frantic screams. Opening their grotesque, multi-fanged mouths, they spewed out white threads, wrapping him tightly until he became a massive cocoon.
Like prey caught in a web, these unfortunate humans would be dissolved by the toxins embedded in the silk before being devoured by the swarm of spiders.
“Help! Why isn’t the military here yet?”
“Where are the Special Division agents? I don’t want to die!”
“Please don’t take my child away…”
On the ground, chaos reigned as crowds of people fled in terror. However, the spider monsters were unnervingly fast, easily catching up to their targets.
The creatures’ horrifying fangs pierced the bodies of their victims, injecting a venom that quickly drained their strength, leaving them drowsy and on the verge of unconsciousness.
One by one, these helpless individuals were lifted onto the spiders’ webs, encased in silk, forming a chilling spectacle.
Dozens of white cocoons hung ominously from the webs. Some writhed faintly, the people inside still struggling, but the sticky silk was too strong to escape.
From a distance, the scene resembled a grotesque illustration from a horror artist’s portfolio—grim and spine-chilling.
In that moment, Lu Yu felt the crushing weight of humanity’s frailty. Reduced to mere fodder for these monsters, humans were at the mercy of their gruesome predators. The harsh realities of this world were laid bare before him, dispelling any notion of this being a game. Here, death was real.
“I thought cities had defensive systems. Why are these monsters rampaging without triggering a counterattack?”
Doubt clouded Lu Yu’s thoughts. Humanity’s survival in this world depended heavily on the sophisticated defence systems within cities, which kept external threats at bay and allowed civilisation to thrive.
But now, those systems seemed to have suffered a catastrophic failure, rendering them half-crippled.
As anger simmered within Lu Yu, his gaze shifted toward the sacrificial chamber he had spotted earlier. The sinister glow emanating from it had intensified, with purple light resembling the writhing limbs of a deep-sea monster clawing its way out of the abyss.
As more humans were encased in cocoons, the eerie radiance grew brighter and the air heavier with malice.
“Is this part of the ritual?”
Lu Yu deduced that the spiders weren’t consuming their prey immediately. Instead, they were offering them as sacrifices to their god—a Spider Deity dwelling in the Dreamland. Through this grisly act, they sought the deity’s blessings.
If left unchecked, the ritual might summon the deity’s acolytes—or worse, an avatar of the god itself.
The deity’s true form was unlikely to manifest, as such beings were barred from directly entering this world. Only by sacrificing an entire city could their attention be drawn.
However, if the spiders continued, high-level monsters might soon descend, leading to the city’s annihilation.
Lu Yu couldn’t allow that to happen.
Still, he wasn’t the type to rush in blindly. He had his reasons for acting—his own secret weapon.
“Fear Balloon, get down here!”
At his call, the yellow balloon with a grotesque human face, hovering near the ceiling, quivered with excitement. Its expression shifted to one of flattery as it quickly floated down toward him.
“Wait!” Lu Yu shouted suddenly, but it was too late.
The balloon had forgotten that he had tied its dangling ribbon to a chandelier earlier to keep it still. As it descended, the ribbon yanked the chandelier free, bringing it crashing down with a thunderous bang, chunks of debris scattering everywhere.
The heavy weight dragged the Fear Balloon to the ground as well.
“Eeee-yah-yah!”
The balloon screeched in confusion, flailing about as though it couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
“This silly thing…”
Lu Yu rolled his eyes, wondering if this creature—his own creation—was truly a two-star monster. Was it secretly a mischievous husky in disguise?
Despite his grumbling, Lu Yu remained curious. The spider monsters weren’t even one-star entities, so what kind of power could his two-star Fear Balloon unleash?
After untying the ribbon, the balloon floated back into the air, its expression calmer now. It began circling Lu Yu, acting like a playful puppy eager to please its master.
Lu Yu’s lips twitched at its antics but maintained a composed demeanour. Looking at the balloon, he remarked,
“Little Seven, you’re a two-star monster. Act dignified! Show some class!”
The name “Little Seven” came from a play on the word for “balloon” in Chinese.
The grotesque face of Little Seven contorted in confusion, unable to grasp the meaning behind Lu Yu’s words. However, it didn’t dampen its enthusiasm. To Little Seven, its master was always right.
Amused, Lu Yu found an old faceless mask he had once purchased and placed it over his own face.
Staring at his reflection in the mirror, now masked and enigmatic, he muttered softly,
“Whatever kind of evil god you are, this is humanity’s domain. Go back to where you belong.”
Gripping the yellow ribbon tightly, Lu Yu strode forward, the balloon floating obediently behind him.
“Little Seven, it’s time to fight some monsters and gather materials!”