All of this was because Mithra had casually lit a fire.
Escaping the riot-affected area consumed a significant amount of Mithra's energy.
For someone accustomed to relying on sight, the sudden deprivation of vision brought obvious inconvenience. Even with enhanced compensatory senses, unfamiliarity remained unfamiliarity.
Moreover, the density of monsters here was extremely high, far exceeding that of the Gross tunnels. From time to time, monsters would bump into her, followed by a fierce sensory clash in the oppressive darkness.
Monsters accounted for forty percent of Mithra's energy expenditure.
The other sixty percent was spent in a battle of wits and strength with the big mouth.
This entity perpetually attempted to secretly steal food, only for it to get attacked by other monsters, rebounding the conflict onto Mithra. Consequently, Mithra sustained injuries. Although the creature would offer minor aid afterward, when Mithra went to retrieve her own salvaged flesh post-fight, it invariably demanded a portion.
Then, true to her word, Mithra would retaliate by slicing off one of its tongues and consuming it.
Ultimately, such actions only ended up costing Mithra herself.
But there were also definite gains.
At least the big mouth no longer dared to steal openly; it could only subtly snatch minor scraps.
When all external noises distinctly faded into the distance, Mithra groped for a wall again. After confirming it was solid structure and not some colossal lurking creature, she slid down, sitting awkwardly on the ground, leaning against the surface.
[Event – "First Experience of Eternal Night"]
[Anderet's Gift: A method for you to observe within the deep darkness without attracting undue attention.]
[Cost: After utilizing this method, you will encounter even more interesting developments.]
[Do you accept?]
Mithra looked down; the system maintained its preference for leaving things vague.
"Accept."
The text vanished.
Suddenly, Mithra felt footsteps approaching beside her.
She turned to look, assuming it was another monster, and raised her hand, preparing to cast a miracle. Then she felt her wrist caught by another cold, icy hand.
A gorgeous dark purple glow suddenly illuminated the space before her eyes, lighting up the pitch-black surroundings, yet strangely provoking no immediate disturbance from the nearby environment.
A delicate, small black lantern was brought before Mithra's face, playfully bumping her nose.
Then, moving away, Mithra also clearly saw what was gripping her wrist.
A black, indistinct figure with six wings sprouting from its head, effectively obscuring its face. The hand holding Mithra's was intensely cold.
"Anderet?" Mithra asked aloud.
"It is I." The figure before her replied, its voice a gentle female tone.
"Oh," Mithra exclaimed expressionlessly, devoid of outward emotion.
"Surprised?"
"Indeed, I didn't anticipate meeting you directly. Fasellos only ever communicates within my mind, but you have manifested physically," Mithra stated, observing the figure before her from head to toe.
Anderet said: "In this world, I can still mobilize some residual power. Drawing upon your recent inspiration, I can manifest an image to meet with you."
Mithra nodded, looking at the lantern in her hand: "Is this the gift?"
"I once plunged the entire world into darkness, but now I actively illuminate it for others. A truly fascinating development. This is what they call the impermanence of things. Fate is indeed elusive, even for a 'god's' destiny." Anderet let out a somber laugh that didn't quite align with her gentle voice.
"Hmm." Mithra didn't know what to say, so she simply acknowledged it.
Anderet took Mithra's hand, slowly placing the lantern into it.
"However, after you made your initial choice, a recent segment of fate has preferentially converged upon me, which is why you have continuously encountered matters related to me."
Mithra raised an eyebrow.
So that was the explanation?
The initial three choices weren't just a novice gift pack; they actually dictated her primary "storyline"?
"Your inspiration is incredibly potent. We all hope to borrow your inspiration, to pull your fate a little closer to ours."
"Logically, besides the primary directive of hunting Wandering Gods, you all also harbor personal aspirations for me?" Mithra summarized her understanding bluntly.
"You could say that."
"What about you then? What do you hope I accomplish? Things that are overly difficult I cannot manage. Of course, if I decide to commit, I will try, but don't fault me if I fail halfway," Mithra stated plainly.
"Rather than hoping you will do something specific, it's more about wanting to witness someone like you continue to forge your own unique path. Most of us are fundamentally the same way."
"No regrets?" Mithra inquired.
"Hahaha, although the Eternal Night failed, I hold no regrets. A loss is a loss. I originally anticipated being defeated by Lebionce or Loheath, or perhaps some other concealed Pillar God. As it turned out, Ringer, who wasn't yet a god, gathered the strength of mortals and forced a breakthrough. Losing so ridiculously, how could I harbor regrets?" Anderet said, chuckling.
"Everyone experiences missteps occasionally," Mithra offered as comfort.
"Indeed, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Even the invincible Lebionce was overcome by mortals. My minor failure is inconsequential."
Pausing, Anderet shifted the focus back to Mithra: "Do you believe you hold great importance?"
"Not particularly. I will exert my utmost effort to handle affairs, but if I perish, I perish. I likely won't harbor true regret, having already died once before," Mithra replied without hesitation.
"Actually, you are very important."
"Hmm?"
"The fragmented Eternal Night cannot obscure everything. I cannot explicitly state the ultimate objective here, but to secure a unique individual like you, we had to prepare for a thousand, or even ten thousand years. We don't know how much longer we can endure, so you are the first, and quite possibly the last."
"...Even if you state it that way, I won't let your expectations burden my mind. It is solely because you granted me a new existence that I will strive my best to repay you by acting aligned with your hopes. Beyond that, it is not within my scope of consideration," Mithra stated in a simple, declarative tone.
"That is excellent, haha. Simply maintain your current mindset as you proceed. If you were constrained by pressure and obligation, it would completely lose its significance," Anderet was not saddened but genuinely pleased.
"So, do you have critical assignments, or do you simply wish to observe me for amusement?" Mithra asked, sounding slightly exasperated.
"Both. In any case, it is merely making the best of a compromised situation," Anderet responded with a human-like shrug.
"Understood," Mithra also shrugged.
Suddenly, Anderet's figure flickered, reminiscent of a visual glitch.
"There is limited time remaining. The gift has been delivered. You will experience the associated cost firsthand."
Only then did Anderet release Mithra's hand.
"Oh, right, Fasellos seemed to have left you some task? Then I'll mention something too: try to collect sixteen fragments of the Crystal of Eternal Night. By then, this lingering world will be yours."
With that, Anderet's figure completely vanished.
The lantern in Mithra's hand flickered slightly. She couldn't clearly discern how the light within it was emitted; it didn't appear to be a flame.
Communicating with Anderet was still quite enjoyable. The few superior entities she had interacted with so far were all straightforward to converse with.
Anderet had revealed a significant amount of actionable intelligence, which could be used for future planning.
However, it would not sway Mithra's core resolve.
As a detached operative, one should avoid emotional entanglement with the higher-ups.
Mithra looked at the lantern in her hand.
[Light-Bearing Lantern: An exquisitely crafted lantern that houses a miraculous light source capable of freely emitting luminescence even within the lightless Eternal Night. Its illuminated radius can be adjusted via Senseforce. However, its light can also reveal creatures dwelling deeper in the darkness, so please exercise caution.]
The information was clearly displayed before her. The explicit cost that Anderet had omitted was also detailed.
But it was still a classic Anderet-style riddle. Interpreting it as "it will spawn more threats" should suffice, right?
Mithra followed the instructions, taking the lantern and attempting to adjust its illumination settings.
When held normally, its illumination cast a radius of roughly five meters centered on her. If spread wider, it could still faintly reveal surroundings, but clarity was lost compared to the five-meter radius.
Then, by manipulating the focus, she could convert the lantern into a "flashlight," concentrating the beam directly forward. This focused range extended extremely far, immediately making the endpoint impossible to discern.
Moreover, just as Anderet promised, this light did not attract the attention of surrounding monsters. She had shone it for half a day and observed no monster agitation.
Mithra immediately switched it to flashlight mode, sweeping the beam around to survey the appearance of this reality.
"Hmm? Isn't this just Xyrin City?"
Very quickly, under the purple illumination, Mithra noticed something critically amiss.
Weren't the surrounding structures styled exactly like those in Xyrin City?
She carefully confirmed it and found this to be true.
This was undeniably Xyrin City, but it belonged to those grotesquely shaped and arbitrarily manifested monsters—the pitch-black Xyrin City.
"Inner World?" Mithra mused over an interesting concept.
Two worlds, inner and outer. Could this Eternal Night have manifested an Inner World modeled after the Outer World?
However, Mithra was entirely unfamiliar with the real Xyrin City. Even if she recognized the architecture, she wouldn't know her precise location within it.
Temporarily disoriented, Mithra began searching for other reference points.
Such as the monsters she had strained herself fighting earlier in the darkness.
The variety of creatures inhabiting the Eternal Night was quite extensive.
The most common were the eyeless beings that had initially attacked Mithra.
[Lightless Dwellers: A novel species that emerged after being subjected to the Eternal Night and influenced by its curse. When the brilliance of humanity is discarded along with those eyes into the darkness, individuals become no different from wild beasts.]
Besides them, there were large, canine-like, eyeless predators. Their derived information suggested some of these eyeless canines had actually transformed from eyeless humans.
Then there were the shadowy reptiles, grotesque insect-like aberrations sprouting two heads from a single body, accompanied by numerous limbs, each creature roughly the size of an adult human. It was one of these earlier horrors that had violently agitated Mithra's core.
Many other types existed beyond these that Mithra hadn't yet encountered.
Their shared trait was that although most had lost functional eyes, their other senses were extremely acute. Except for rare instances of inter-species interaction, their aggression toward one another was intense. Simply approaching often triggered an immediate skirmish.
This explained why the world had sounded so cacophonous earlier.
If Mithra made any slightly significant movement or drew too near, she, too, would provoke these entities. Her previous sustained pursuit was clearly attributable to this very factor.
However, walking with the lantern, Mithra hadn't yet witnessed the negative side effects mentioned in its description.
After all, she didn't even fully recognize the known monsters in this realm; how could she possibly identify any "deeper creatures"?
Mithra maintained the illumination mode and proceeded down a passage.
After walking for a stretch, she suddenly perceived that the surroundings had become excessively quiet.
"..." After a moment of stillness, she continued stepping forward.
No matter how lightly she trod, without specialized training, it was impossible to entirely silence her footsteps. The eerie vacuum and emptiness of the street brought a distinctly different kind of dread.
Suddenly, under the light emitted by the lantern in Mithra's hand, a figure abruptly materialized in the middle of the path ahead.
Although it possessed a humanoid silhouette, numerous arms sprouted like branches from its body, and its overall form was disturbingly slender. From such a distance, only these unsettling details were discernible.
The figure stood unnervingly rigid in the street. Mithra halted and observed it.
[Multi-limbed Abomination: A grotesque entity evolved from the "Universal Hand," mutated by the Eternal Night. For the "Universal Hand," appendages symbolize capability; numerous limbs represent the relentless pursuit of omnipotence.]
A living being, yet it triggered the detection mechanism of the Eyes of Night.
Logically, was the "Universal Hand" mentioned in this description another Wandering God?
Mithra took another step forward.
Soft footsteps resonated.
The figure's rhythmic swaying suddenly halted.
The next moment, it trembled violently.
In an instant, the opponent's position seemed slightly closer to Mithra.
It swayed slightly again, moved a little closer, and this time, the distance covered was longer.
Flickering back and forth a few times, it suddenly vanished from the illumination range of the lantern.
Rumble…
Swish!
Appearing again, it lunged straight toward Mithra.
Mithra saw a face completely covered by a pair of slender black hands, held extremely tight.
And up close, the blades wielded by those branch-like arms became clearly visible.
All its arms moved in unison, and the blades swiftly thrust towards Mithra.
Mithra quickly retreated, attempting to create space, but with a flicker, the entity vanished from her sight. Mithra didn't hesitate, immediately switching the lantern from single-direction illumination back to the normal mode.
The light returned to her surroundings, directly revealing that the opponent was already level with Mithra.
Whoosh!
Blade light flashed swiftly. Mithra, at point-blank range, also drew a small knife, attempting to parry.
But in an instant, her skin was peeled away and flesh torn. She simply couldn't keep up with the opponent's attack speed!
Her entire body was instantly riddled with countless gashes, becoming a bloody spectacle.
The monster's eerie flickering wasn't just for movement; its arms could phase through attacks. Many times, Mithra found that the blade had already cut into her flesh before she could even perceive its trajectory.
Mithra enveloped herself in a dark blue light, widening the distance once again.
This time, the monster didn't immediately flicker to catch up. Instead, after making a few slashes in place, it belatedly registered Mithra's disappearance.
Shadow of the Hunt.
Though now, it could only be utilized for "retreat."
When the effect of "Shadow of the Hunt" concluded, the monster suddenly snapped its head towards Mithra. It flickered again, but this time Mithra directly drew the Hunter Greatsword.
The eyes on the greatsword opened and closed in a flash.
She spun and swept. The Blade of the Hunter transformed into a circular arc, spreading outwards. The monster, which had just materialized near Mithra, was directly caught in her barrage of slashes.
But in that instant, it flickered and vanished in place, forcibly lunging forward to stand directly before Mithra.
Mithra threw the lantern to the ground. With one hand she sheathed her sword, and with the other, she suddenly swung her hammer, stacking Vitality upon Vitality.
Bang!
A fierce, dull thud erupted. The street beneath her feet cracked from the impact, and bricks shattered.
But several intertwined arms formed a protective net, catching Mithra's hammer blow. The monster's figure merely swayed; its feet didn't even shift!
Whoosh!
In an instant, numerous blades performed a deadly dance across Mithra's chest. Her torso exploded tragically, blooming with even more vibrant blood, scattering fragments of flesh and bone everywhere.
"Hungry!" Countless tongues suddenly stretched out from the freshly bloomed blood-flowers, sweeping up and devouring all of Mithra's severed chest fragments.
Sharp, jagged thorns, resembling its teeth, grew on the tentacle-like tongues, wildly whipping out around them.
The multi-limbed monster was clearly not at a disadvantage. It met the incoming tongues, its blade-arms swiftly stabbing and slashing.
Clang, clang, bang! The sounds of impact were incessant in her ears—a brief, violent deadlock. Amidst this chaos, a dark blue Blade of the Hunter suddenly pierced through, shattering the balance between them. Several of the multi-limbed monster's arms were severed.
The tongues swiftly lashed out, directly impaling the multi-limbed monster!
Mithra slowly picked up the Light-Bearing Lantern she had just dropped.
Under the purple light, tiny cuts on Mithra's facial skin were regenerating, and a hideous wide mouth tore open from her bloody, ragged chest.
Compared to its usual docile appearance, it now looked ferocious. Its sharp teeth were fully grown, and its originally soft tongues were now tough and vigorous, overgrown with thorns, capable of being wielded as weapons.
"Hungry… Hungry…" Indistinct sounds emanated from its mouth.
Mithra reached out and wiped the wounds on her face, only managing to smear more blood, so she just wiped it away haphazardly.
"Don't worry. I'll take you to get food."
The big mouth wasn't simply "only knows how to eat."
Although it usually seemed inefficient, getting beaten up while hunting for sustenance, demanding Mithra share the spoils, and still insisting Mithra should intervene—it all came with a benefit. It could convert everything it consumed into its own power.
A portion of that accumulated power would feed back to Mithra, strengthening her in minute increments. These enhancements were also quite random; sometimes it boosted physical strength, other times Senseforce. Or perhaps it would sharpen Mithra's mind slightly, or enhance her senses.
Judging by the enhancement margin, Mithra guessed that the portion used to benefit her own body was tragically small.
The larger share, however, was stored, enabling it to initiate a series of exaggerated transformations during crucial moments.
Clearly, boosting Mithra's personal efficiency was far less beneficial than the big mouth enhancing itself.
But this wasn't a major issue. She didn't typically require such boosts. Its true value lay in being able to secure victory in critical confrontations.
From the festering wound, the blood-filled maw opened, saliva mixed with Mithra's blood dripping onto her feet, its wild tentacles growing and writhing.
The multi-limbed monster, impaled by the big mouth's tongue, twitched and struggled momentarily, then flickered away from the restraints.
"Hungry… Oh… Run…"
"It's fine, it can probably be consumed. I just sensed it; that wasn't true 'teleportation'," Mithra stated calmly, as she attached the lantern to her hip.
"Hungry… Eat…" This was the big mouth's response, seeming entirely unrelated to the situation.
The Multi-limbed Abomination immediately retreated beyond Mithra's five-meter radius, vanishing into the darkness. However, Mithra could still faintly detect the sound of blood dripping from its wounds.
Based on the big mouth's feedback, it hadn't vanished instantly from the tongue but had instead "moved at an extremely high velocity" to escape.
This wasn't instantaneous movement, but rather hyper-speed travel over a short distance. However, this method of travel seemed to possess other peculiar traits, but for now, understanding it as extreme speed was sufficient.
Furthermore, the opponent's movement and attack patterns were likely uncoordinated; otherwise, Mithra would have been sliced to ribbons within minutes, and she wouldn't even have perceived its movements.
Because of the thorns erupting from its tongue, when the monster struggled to escape, it aggravated its own laceration, resulting in profuse bleeding. Even if Mithra wasn't a professional, she could generally discern the opponent's location, especially since no other monster noises interfered nearby.
"Hmm? What? You consumed its flesh? Can you temporarily replicate some of its power?" Mithra had originally intended to utilize the big mouth's powerful tongue for defensive counterattacks. The opponent, despite being so severely injured, lingered without any intention of fleeing, its aggression remaining exceptionally high.
But she hadn't anticipated the big mouth bringing forth another surprise.
"Hungry… Eat more…"
"Why didn't you mention that sooner? I don't even possess your instruction manual."
"Oh… Hungry…"
Mithra cooperated and engaged in conversation with the big mouth, seemingly unconcerned with the Multi-limbed Abomination's movements.
Rumble…
Suddenly, the sound of dripping blood ceased near her ear, immediately followed by the monster's distinctive noise.
The big mouth's tongue swiftly enveloped Mithra, then the protective net of tongues behind Mithra's left side was fiercely slashed through.
Mithra swiftly pivoted, following the momentum, and swung her hammer. The big mouth's other tongues simultaneously caught up and struck the monster.
The monster's assault was neutralized, and it quickly flickered out of sight.
"Go," Mithra kicked forward forcefully.
The big mouth opened wide, and a black "A Lotus Clenched in an Empty Hand" totem suddenly condensed within it.
Boom! Bang!
After a similar sharp impact sound, this was immediately followed by Mithra almost instantaneously appearing near the monster. The peculiar creature turned its head with a hint of surprise, only to see Mithra glide past it, directly colliding with a wall not far away.
Multi-limbed Abomination: …
Mithra, leaning against the wall, turned her head, shaking her dazed mind.
"It seems we still need to practice our coordination," Mithra stated.
"Hungry…"
However, Mithra had mostly experienced that unique movement pattern just now.
It wasn't simply movement. During the process, the body entered a peculiar state, as if compressed. Its physical volume would momentarily shrink to a certain degree, and apart from the "movement," other bodily functions would be temporarily suspended. Yet, it was also inherently unstable, and this state could be broken instantly.
In terms of maximum distance, when utilized by the big mouth, it spanned roughly fifty meters per single use.
Moreover, its impact force was not substantial. Even though its speed was incredible, its kinetic energy remained relatively low. The kinetic energy upon initiation remained constant; for instance, when Mithra just struck the wall, there were no fissures in the structure, and the physical sensation was merely a standard bump to the head.
After a brief pause, the Multi-limbed Abomination attacked again.
The big mouth spontaneously moved its tongues to intercept the opponent's offensive.
With the big mouth's assistance, the opponent's arms were largely restrained. The disparity in sheer strength between the monster's arms and its other body parts was evident, and their combined force was significantly greater. Mithra, without hesitation, directly extended Vitality, stacking it, then used her remaining limbs to attack. The corners of her mouth were cut, and many teeth were crushed in the exchange.
A hammer landed squarely on the opponent's head.
The monster's body recoiled backward, its form flickering rapidly as it staggered.
Rumble!
The big mouth's already prepared miracle was cast again. Mithra's foot adjusted, and this time, she perfectly matched the opponent's high-speed trajectory.
Also entering a high-speed movement state, the opponent's figure was no longer difficult to track, clearly appearing before her eyes. Mithra's hammer kept pace with it.
Bang!
Instantly knocked out of its specialized movement state, the monster's body tumbled outward. Mid-air, it was swiftly seized by the big mouth's tongues. Each arm was tightly bound and broken by the binding force, rapidly incapacitating the limbs.
Mithra's other hand drew a straight sword and severed a loose arm.
The Multi-limbed Abomination could only struggle and writhe like a dark, trapped insect.
She sheathed the sword back into her shoulder apparatus. Mithra picked up the lantern at her hip, observed the monster again, and then stated: "Eat."
Her cut mouth corners and shattered teeth hadn't regenerated yet; she spoke with a pronounced lisp.
"Hungry…"
The tentacles moved swiftly, drawing the Multi-limbed Abomination toward Mithra's chest, commencing the process anew, stuffing it piece by piece into the mouth located there. This process resembled normal feeding, except that consuming such a massive quantity instantly left Mithra's chest feeling somewhat uncomfortably distended.
Finally, the entire monster was consumed by the big mouth residing on Mithra's chest.
"You eat without savoring the taste," Mithra commented, looking at the skin-like aperture before her. As the conflict ended, it impatiently exited its "combat mode." Its tongues retracted, its thorns receded, and even the large opening on her chest sealed into a smaller mouth.
"Hungry…"
"Alright, alright, that's enough for today," Mithra concluded casually.
She had allowed it to consume so much today, not to mention there was still a "feast" impending.
"Hungry" was merely a common utterance for the big mouth; one shouldn't be fooled by its innocuous appearance!
The big mouth suddenly extended a tongue, presenting a black, semi-transparent object shaped like a hand.
[Multi-limbed Abomination's Scattered Inspiration: Special scattered Inspiration derived from a life form evolved from the "Universal Hand" and subsequently mutated by the Eternal Night. Upon absorption, it can slightly increase additional Senseforce, and potentially grant comprehension of a unique miracle. However, it might also result in the growth of extra appendages.]
"Brute, it seems the most potent acquisitions are linked to Wandering Gods. The probability of scattered Inspiration manifesting is also higher than with ordinary entities," Mithra stated, offering the Inspiration to the big mouth, "Can you consume this?"
"Hungry…" The big mouth's tongue nimbly circled the Inspiration, appearing genuinely delighted.
"Then consume it," Mithra casually fed it into the mouth on her chest. Adding sustenance meant adding sustenance. It was a dizzying concept, but it demonstrably worked.
"Hungry… Good… Eat…"
Not long after, Mithra sensed a slight augmentation to her Senseforce.
Simultaneously, an image suddenly manifested in her mind:
A pair of pale hands were silently molding clay. The hands were incredibly dexterous, their craftsmanship exquisite, making Mithra feel dizzy as she observed, as if these hands possessed their own distinct, living presence.
Finally, the clay in the hands was shaped into a hand reaching upward, grasping empty air.
Then, this clay hand truly animated.