"No! Don't come over—!"
Piel struggled inside the cage. His treatment wasn't as "good" as the young Teest. The Eternalist used magic to pin him to a corner of the cage, ready to force-feed him a potion.
Desperately writhing, tears filled Piel's eyes. "Mr. Fairies, Mr. Fairies, save me… wuwuwu. I don't want to die!"
At that moment, two "fairies" stood on the straw, not far away. Teest hugged Nol protectively in anticipation of what might come next, but this time Nol didn't rush forward.
Piel was destined to become a Supplement Demon, and nothing could change that fact. All they could do was watch.
The Eternalist held Piel's chin like he was force-feeding livestock, pouring a flask of bright red potion down his throat. Holding Piel's neck as one might hold a small chicken, the boy's flesh began to distort and swell.
Blisters formed on Piel's neck, bursting rapidly, and a yellowish fluid splashed everywhere, filling the surroundings with a pungent, sweet stench. Piel no longer screamed. He gasped for breath like a bellows, his whole body convulsing as if electrocuted.
Only then did the Eternalist let go. Wiping the pus off his hands with decorum, a satisfied expression appeared on his square face.
He then took a small statue of the Eternal Son from his pocket, murmuring incantations. Countless shining points of light flew out from the decaying flesh, extinguishing next to the statue.
Something warm seemed to have vanished. Nol felt a drop in the surrounding temperature.
When the Eternalist moved away, Nol approached the unrecognizable mass that was once Piel. This time, he was able to cast a pain relief spell smoothly. Whether the spell took effect or Piel had simply fainted was unclear.
After observing for a few minutes and ensuring that Piel hadn't died on the spot, the Eternalist recited a few prayers and left with delight.
The oppressive silence returned.
Facing the flesh that once was Piel, Teest and Nol looked into each other's eyes. Nol's breathing was a bit rapid, and Teest could see shock and anger on his face, but they were just right.
Hmm, Nol didn't seem to need a hug.
His Lich's growth had matured. Perhaps Teest would never see him break down again. Touching his chin, Teest was unsure whether to feel happy or melancholic.
Nol gently touched the exposed flesh.
Piel's skin had completely fallen off. The exposed muscles, covered in pus, were slippery and foul-smelling, with thin, twisted blood vessels clearly visible. Something was about to emerge from this pulsating flesh—either a new Supplement Demon or a grotesque corpse.
Closing his eyes, magical light emanated from Nol's fingers, spreading across Piel's body.
"What are you doing?" Teest picked a clean piece of straw and watched with interest. "He's already turned. You can't revert him."
Nol didn't answer. His silhouette looked utterly focused.
It took fifteen minutes before he finally dropped his hand, looking almost exhausted. The massive lump of flesh that was Piel still lay soft in the cage corner, with nauseating protrusions stretching out like a snail's eyes.
"Griffin," Nol said solemnly. "The potion they fed him contained griffin… I detected the unique magical fluctuations of a griffin."
So, Nol was exploring the transformation process of the Supplement Demon.
Impressive. He even knew the magic fluctuations of monsters. The game design of this otherworld was so detailed that even Nol, a "participant", knew so much.
Teest involuntarily narrowed his eyes. "Okay, griffin, so what?"
"That's why the 'rejection' is so severe," Nol replied, pressing his hand on Piel again. "It's like organ transplant… Never mind, the potion is forcibly merging the magic circuits of two species."
The Supplement Demon was born from this strange potion, and its effect reminded Nol of the "Fallen Death" skill—albeit a basic, primitive version.
If it had to be said, "Fallen Death" was a pure and unadulterated transfer of power. The actions of the Eternal Church were more akin to forcibly integrating the flesh of other species into humans, without distinction. Most of the test subjects would die and only those with great resilience or a unique constitution would survive.
However, they couldn't escape the random mutations caused by this reckless fusion.
Only Teest was special. His undefined Player privileges likely played a role in that, Nol thought. A Player's healing abilities weren't just limited to mending wounds—it also included an "original form restoration" effect.
Little Piel wasn't so lucky.
His heartbeat was frighteningly fast at the moment, his organs were decaying and morphing, and his blood had almost become a pus-mixed liquid. His physical condition was even worse than a freshly dead body. Healing spells simply wouldn't work on such extreme mutations.
Nol held his breath, deeply concentrating, his brow furrowed.
Indeed, according to Teest, even if he did nothing, Piel would survive. Just like when Piel was caught earlier. Without his warning, Piel might've just been beaten up but would still have survived…
The universe might not care about the pain of this little boy, but someone did.
Nol's fingertips shimmered once more. An unusual bluish glow followed Piel's blood vessels, delving into the mass of deformed flesh.
Teest gently expressed his astonishment, moving closer to observe.
The "Fallen Death" skill was too intricate for Nol to replicate without aid. However, even a superficial imitation was better than the effects of the terrifying potion.
The faint glow waxed and waned, and the lump of decaying flesh gradually reduced in size. The pus-like smell weakened. The mass became somewhat transparent, encasing a fluid reminiscent of amniotic fluid, within which a monstrous figure curled up.
It looked like a meticulous surgery. Nol didn't dare breathe as he devoted himself to adjusting the magic, calculating every move.
Merging circuits, reshaping physiologies…
Untangling conflicting magical currents… Cautiously, ever so cautiously…
At last, the quivering liquid sack burst open, and a trembling figure emerged, collapsing weakly on the ground, resembling a newborn puppy.
"I see," Teest whispered. "I thought he naturally had such abilities. I didn't realize you'd helped."
It was a perfectly typical monster.
Its upper body resembled Piel, but below the waist, it was covered in nearly black, dark brown fur.
The boy's lower body was joined to a beast's, with four massive claws still twitching: the front resembling bird talons and the rear resembling lion's paws. From Piel's lower back sprouted two wet, powerful wings, currently drenched, making them appear pitiable.
The top half was human, and the bottom was a black griffin.
Little Piel's hair had grown considerably, still damp. His deep purple Eyes of Truth remained. He lay on the ground, coughing continuously, his face displaying exhaustion and confusion. Despite being young, the transformed griffin body wasn't that large, leaving some space within the cage.
"Mr. Fairies…" He reached out to Teest and Nol, his voice raspily whispering. "My… My body feels so heavy…"
"Congratulations." Teest chuckled. "If you still want to be a knight, at least you don't need to save up to buy a horse now."
Piel laboriously turned his head to inspect his body, his eyes widening in shock. He seemed to want to scream but lacked the strength to produce any sound, opening and closing his mouth silently.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Nol exhaled. "He's stable for now."
Piel tried to lift himself using his arms but failed pitifully. He then tried to move his unfamiliar claws, flapping about on the spot. Even after realizing he'd turned into a monster, tears filled his eyes. Yet, compared to the other horrifying monstrosities around him, Piel didn't utter a single word of complaint. He might not have been the brightest, but he wasn't so naive as to not recognize who'd aided him.
With the last of his energy, Nol cast a drying spell on Piel. His fur and wings finally dried, making him look significantly fluffier.
[Want a spoiler?] Teest produced a raisin, offering half to Nol. [About this child or about me.]
The sweet raisin alleviated Nol's dizziness, allowing him to focus on Teest.
The Mad Monk looked unchanged, as if they weren't living a horrific past but merely watching a movie. The person he liked remained cunning and cruel.
[Did you plan this adventure specifically to showcase your experiences… 'The Tragic Past of the Mad Killer'? You're showing me this, not because you want my pity, I presume.]
Nol tried to maintain his composure, gripping the raisin tightly.
Every time Teest posed such rhetorical questions, Nol felt exasperated. As Teest took a step forward, he had to reciprocate by stepping back, and vice versa.
Teest seemed to treat it as some kind of "see how well you understand your significant other" game.
He didn't want to sound so… hurtful, but Nol knew Teest probably didn't want to hear how "heartbroken" he was.
[…The Mad Monk I know isn't that boring, so I'd like to keep some suspense.] Nol concluded.
Teest smiled contentedly, taking it as a compliment. [Oh, don't get me wrong. I just didn't want you to impulsively rush out without notifying me. Honestly, I never imagined you'd care about me so much.]
'Believe me, I care about you more than you can imagine,' Nol thought.
However, he was trying to control his growing affection, understanding the need to maintain a delicate balance.
Regardless of how much he liked Teest, in the end, he would uncover the truth of the world and return to his world. Since an ending was inevitable, investing too much emotionally wasn't wise.
Especially when the other party was the "Mad Monk".
Nol looked into Teest's eyes, only to find that his gaze was lifted, looking right behind Nol.
"Good evening."
The young Teest's voice sounded from behind Nol.
In that brief moment, Nol felt his hair nearly stand on end and quickly turned around.
The young Teest had somehow left his cage and was now standing outside of Little Piel's cage. He wore a brand new white robe, was barefoot, and seemed to glow in the dark, appearing like a ghost not belonging to this world.
At this moment, the young Teest didn't sound obedient at all, and even his voice wasn't as clear. His voice had the hoarseness typical of teenagers, combined with the jovial tone characteristic of the Mad Monk.
"I came to greet the new member. It's the first time I've seen someone who looks so normal."
Due to the "A Midsummer Night's Dream", the young Teest's gaze went straight past the two of them to Little Piel on the ground. "Hello. Can you still understand human speech?"
"How… How are you outside?" After a few seconds of hesitation, Little Piel asked the question Nol was most concerned about.
"Because the Eternalists are idiots."
The young Teest made a face, showing a mischievous smile. "'He's so obedient, My Lord. He's perfect, My Lord'… Wow, they never considered that I might still have a brain."
Little Piel swallowed hard, struggling to prop up his upper body. "I know how to escape!" He unnecessarily looked around, anxiously saying, "We… We can escape together. You help me move, and I'll guide the way…"
The young Teest paused for a moment, the smile on his lips growing wider.
He grabbed the cage bars, pressing his beautiful face against them.
"I know, I know. By blocking the magic on the stone door with metal, you can leave the dungeon. I figured that out seven years ago."
"As for the exit—are you talking about the side door in the west hall or the secret passage to the north? There's also a small exit in the southern cellar, which might be too narrow for your size."
Nol and Little Piel were both stunned.
There was now a bit more fear in Piel's voice. "So, you could have escaped…"
"If I pretend to be an obedient fool, they provide me with power for free and teach me knowledge I can't learn outside. With such favorable conditions, why would I leave?" the young Teest asked with genuine confusion.
Lunatic.
Piel shrank back into a corner of the cage, his claws retracted onto his belly, and the fear on his face deepened.
"Well, I don't expect you to understand," the young Teest mused. "Hmm… you can still think and speak, so I might as well take a gamble."
With that, he pierced two fingers into his shoulder and pulled out a tiny gold wheel from his flesh.
Upon seeing the coin, Nol instinctively swallowed. An identical coin lay dormant in his flesh, with matching surface scratches.
Piel's fur stood on end. "What are you gambling on?"
"I'm deciding whether or not to kill you," the young Teest said nonchalantly. "I don't like unexpected changes to my plans—I have something very important to do soon, and it might kill me. You showed up at a bad time."
Little Piel shivered in fear. "I swear I won't get in your way, really! I just want to leave here. I definitely don't want to cause trouble…"
He clawed at the straw on the ground, as if hoping it would protect him.
The young Teest laughed. "But I don't believe you."
He tossed the bloody coin into the air and caught it on the back of his hand. "You choose first, 'King' or 'Sun'?"
Little Piel looked helplessly at the fairies, and the adult Teest gave a subtle smile.
[Sun,] he mouthed to Little Piel.
"I choose sun," Little Piel replied with a dry voice.
"Wow, you guessed it right." the young Teest moved his hand away, pushing the coin back into the wound as naturally as putting it back in a pocket. "Alright, I won't kill you. Goodnight, my new friend—I'll visit you tomorrow if you're still alive."
"Why?" Little Piel clenched the straw, having a myriad of questions to ask. In the end, he could only squeeze out this vague interrogative word.
"Why don't I kill you?" The young Teest paused in his steps. "Because they keep chanting about this and that destiny for me. I guess before I fulfill that so-called prophecy, 'fate' will keep me alive—so if it doesn't want me to kill you, then I won't."
Little Piel's expression grew more vacant, utterly puzzled by the boy's train of thought.
"Or perhaps, you want to ask why I don't trust you."
The young Teest turned around, hands behind his back, with a smile too bright to be believed. "Because you're normal, and a normal person here would go mad sooner or later—if you don't believe it, ask yourself a question."
Facing away from the darkness, the cage, and the endless flesh, the pale boy covered his mouth and chuckled.
"Do you still remember your own name, new friend?"
"Of course!" Annoyed by the question, Little Piel raised his voice. "My name is! …My name is… Eh? I… "
What was his name again?
He remembered the past, no doubt, but he couldn't recall his own name.
How did the fairies address him earlier? What was his name? …Who was he?
"That's the first thing they take from you, and it's just the beginning. Following the process, next will be your dignity, your sanity, and yourself."
The young Teest slightly tilted his head, sweetly saying, "But you're lucky. Your suffering won't last long."
"Honey, see how well you know me." Simultaneously, Teest's body leaned onto the still-stunned Nol. "This is not some 'tragic past of a mad killer'—it's far from it—"
In Nol's view, the young Teest hummed a tune, hopping between the cages. His fingers brushed past the cold iron bars, producing musical notes.
As if he was performing.
The pale figure gracefully danced, gradually melting into the darkness.