Chapter 21

In the empty campus, a dense fog loomed, and eerie whispers echoed through it.

“So hungry, so hungry…”

“Not enough, not enough…is there anything more delicious…”

A strange voice murmured within the fog, casually threw away a corpse that had been pierced through and sucked dry by the tentacles, as it sought out the most enticing prey for its next feast.

Of course, it wasn’t in a rush.

Though it was eager to devour the human emitting that pure aura, it knew there was no need to hurry—nobody could escape its fog. Everything inside was its food.

The one it feared had already left, and within this mist, there was no one left who could be its opponent.

With the only threat gone, it leisurely began its killing spree.

The resistance from the ability users was almost laughable. They seemed to die in disbelief, as if they couldn’t accept how easily they fell in the fog.

After all, for B-level ability users, unless they encountered a rare A-level malevolent spirit, they could typically hold their own.

But, unfortunately for them, it had been born an A-level spirit.

A tentacle pierced through an ability user who didn’t even have time to struggle, and blood flowed freely from the body into the creature.

Not far away, a female voice sounded: “Huai’an, I’m scared.”

“Huai… Huai’an?”

“Huai’an, are you there? Maybe we should head back and return in daylight…”

The girl’s sobbing voice was heartbreaking, but it couldn’t stir any sympathy from the brutal, cunning creature.

It quickly locked onto her location and, mimicking a human’s voice from within the mist, responded, “I’m here.”

The girl seemed to realize something, and an instant silence fell.

In the thick fog, an unsettling stillness took over.

“Where are you? Where are you?” it softly responded, moving slowly toward the direction of the girl’s voice.

Its pace was unhurried, and its tentacles writhed excitedly in the air, eager to meet its most cherished meal.

…

Shen Baozhu stood trembling in the mist.

The sound of chewing gradually faded, and something seemed to be lurking, moving overhead through the fog.

The scent of blood thickened, clinging to the air like a stench that made her want to vomit.

Even as naive as she was, Shen Baozhu knew that whatever had answered her wasn’t Zhou Huai’an.

Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, she covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears. She stood frozen, wrapping one arm tightly around herself, too terrified to move forward.

Red blood flowed across the cement ground, pooling at her feet.

Something brushed against her arm—slick and coated in some kind of sticky fluid, the touch of it repulsive.

“Ahhhhhhh!!” With her nerves already tensed, Shen Baozhu let out a piercing scream, covering her ears and backing away in terror.

At that moment, she finally saw the faint outline of the culprit within the fog.

A massive dice, made of gold and silver, floated in the air, towering nearly ten meters high.

It didn’t look human, nor did it resemble any living creature. It seemed more like a cold, unfeeling machine of destruction, gleaming with metallic light.

Beneath the metal dice were countless writhing tentacles, giving it the grotesque appearance of a mutated octopus.

It floated through the air, gliding toward Shen Baozhu like an octopus moving through water, its hanging tentacles dripping blood onto the ground.

The sound of dripping blood—”drip, drip”—was like the ticking of a clock, marking the countdown to Shen Baozhu’s demise.

What made Shen Baozhu’s heart sink further was that one of the tentacles was dragging a limp body—a fellow disciple from the Xuanmen Association who had accompanied her.

The metal dice moved closer, its malicious intent clear. Being consumed seemed inevitable.

As it drew within meters of her, Shen Baozhu let out another piercing scream, causing a gust of wind that dispersed the fog, revealing the surroundings.

The once-familiar school had become a living nightmare, blood flowing everywhere, bodies strewn across the ground, and her companions lying unconscious.

Shen Baozhu’s eyes darted from one fallen figure to the next, her gaze filled with anguish.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Before they set out, Zhou Huai’an had mentioned that the formation of malevolent spirits took time, and since only one person had died, it was unlikely that such a spirit had fully formed.

Besides, Zhou Huai’an was a B+ level ability user, and the other three who had accompanied him were also B-level or higher, making them strong enough to face even a powerful B-level malevolent spirit. No one had anticipated this disaster.

Shen Baozhu’s eyes landed on Zhou Huai’an’s body in the distance. He lay motionless, a gaping hole in his chest, his face pale.

Seeing Zhou Huai’an like this, a wave of fear and regret surged through Shen Baozhu’s heart.

If only, if only they had listened to Yue Yin earlier and left.

If they had, everyone wouldn’t be dead.

But the metal dice had no intention of sparing her despite her regret. It floated closer, showing no mercy.

Fear and regret consumed Shen Baozhu’s expression as death loomed near. Her mind suddenly flashed back to an eerie man she had met many years ago.

His face was pale and twisted, and his voice unsettling: “Beg me. Better to let me devour you than be eaten by some other worthless creature.”

As the metal dice approached, Shen Baozhu squeezed her eyes shut and extended her hand toward the monster, shouting, “Stay back! Don’t come near me!”

Her words stirred a gust of wind, and a protective barrier formed, blocking the metal dice from advancing any closer.

The metal dice looked in surprise at the barrier blocking its path. Its tentacles poked at the air curiously, and the numbers on its face lit up with a “?” expression, confused about why its prey had suddenly escaped.

Seeing that her defense worked, Shen Baozhu let out a deep sigh of relief, sweat dripping from her forehead.

She collapsed to the ground, murmuring, “Thank goodness, thank goodness…”

But in the next moment, the enormous metal dice passed through the barrier, bending down in front of her.

In her shock and terror, Shen Baozhu watched as it split open its toothy, sharp mouth, grinning with a horrifying and twisted expression.

“This is so much fun! I just love seeing you humans with that ‘I narrowly survived’ look on your faces.”

Shen Baozhu was too scared to speak, staring blankly at the monstrous dice just inches away, her teeth chattering.

The metal dice lowered its head and said, “What are you so afraid of?”

“Didn’t you willingly come to my home, delivering yourself right to me?”

“Welcome to the mist, my guest.”

…

At the same time, in Yue Yin’s room.

“Welcome, my new master.”

Yue Yin took the iron box out of her bag. The moment she opened it, the entire room began to tremble.

The space warped, walls shuddering as tiny white fragments crumbled down, and the tightly shut window flew open with a bang, shattering into pieces. The wind howled, rushing in through the broken glass.

Yue Yin stood frozen, staring at the ruined window. “Huh?”

She glanced down at the box in her hand—it was empty. The eyeball had already floated into the air. Yue Yin looked up at the balcony; the window was gone, and the outside wind blew in.

“What? Where’s my window?”

She tossed the box aside, disbelief written on her face. “My huge window is just… gone?”

How was she supposed to sleep tonight?

No one could understand Yue Yin’s mix of annoyance and shock. The eyeball that had escaped from the iron box floated gleefully in the air, its massive pupil filled with undisguised malice.

“Congratulations! You’re my 657th master. Oh, my poor holder, chosen as my backup meal.”

While Yue Yin stared at the iron box in a daze, contemplating life, she heard a sharp, mocking laugh in her ear.

The window shattered again with a bang, pieces falling to the floor as the wind roared in.

“As a perfect B-level forbidden item, B87, after sacrificing an eye to me, I will allow you to spy on anyone in the world, at any time, no matter what they’re doing.”

“The specific usage? I will open the door for you to peek.”

“That’s my manual, but of course, you only need to remember one thing, while possessing this item, you must offer one of your own eyes.”

Yue Yin looked up at the floating eyeball. “I don’t want to be your master.”

Forbidden Item B87 had clearly heard this countless times before. Almost every human it chose as its master was initially thrilled by its power, but after hearing the conditions, they would freak out and immediately refuse.

“Dear master, of course that is… not an option!”

Forbidden item B87 looked like a small, human-like eyeball, complete with facial features, and it could talk fluently. It even made smug and malicious expressions.

Yue Yin understood. “So, you’re forcing me, huh?”

There were other powerful malevolent spirits at school, and this thing had stayed quiet there, playing dead until she got home—only then did it reveal its true nature.

Sitting in her chair, Yue Yin gazed thoughtfully at the floating eyeball’s gleeful voice.

Malice filled the air. Yue Yin raised an eyebrow, pretending to be afraid. “So, what do I do? I have to sacrifice my eye? What if I don’t want to bind with you?”

The eyeball twirled in the air, its voice sharp with excitement. “As the perfect B-level forbidden item, I will never abandon my master.”

It floated closer to Yue Yin, excitedly adding, “Even if you throw me away, I’ll always return to you, no matter when or where, until the day you die.”

Yue Yin chuckled, tossing the iron box behind her. “Interesting.”

There had to be more to this forbidden item than just sacrificing an eye. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have gone through so many different masters.

As Yue Yin pondered, a knock came from the door.

Her younger brother, Shen Xiaodi, shouted from outside, “Yue Yin! Did you tell Brother Jiang not to play games with me? You’re so mean! You just don’t want me to hit diamond rank before you, that’s too much!”

While Shen Xiaodi spoke, Forbidden item B87 suddenly stared menacingly toward the door.

Its gaze turned venomous, and it said slyly to Yueyin, “Of course, I’m not unreasonable. You’re a high school student, right? Your eyes are important to you, aren’t they? If you lose your eyes, your future and life will be ruined.”

“But we haven’t officially bonded yet. If someone else comes along, I might choose a different master… Is that your little brother outside?”

“I prefer children—they’re so innocent and cute. When they’re chattering, I just want to devour their brains. If you open the door and let him in, I’ll spare you and make him my master.”

Yue Yin fell silent, appearing conflicted. “But if I do that, he’ll lose his eye, won’t he?”

Forbidden Item B87 tried to tempt her, “He’s not your real brother, right? You only share a mother. He still has loving parents, but you have nothing. Even if he loses an eye, he’ll still live a happy life. But if you lose yours, you won’t get into college, and you’ll be left with nothing.”

There was no denying that the malevolent spirit was skilled at tempting people and leading them into darkness. Every word it said struck at the weak points of human nature, giving Yue Yin an excuse to sacrifice someone else.

Yue Yin blinked. “Really? You’re not lying to me?”

Forbidden Item B87 grew ecstatic, smugly saying, “Of course not! I’m giving you a chance here. If you don’t believe me, you can die for all I care!”

But it was lying.

There was no way it would let Yue Yin go—it had a job to do.

Besides, it loved nothing more than watching family members turn on each other. Just the thought of it made it giddy with excitement!

Forbidden Item B87 turned blood-red, its excitement and malice fully on display.

Yue Yin pretended to think, while outside the door, Shen Xiaodi kept complaining about how Yue Yin was unfair to him. “Open the door! Why won’t you let Brother Jiang play games with me?”

Without turning her head, Yue Yin replied in a surprised tone, “I didn’t do anything.”

Shen Xiaodi was confused, “Really? Isn’t it because you’re afraid I’ll rank up before you?”

Yue Yin stared at Forbidden Item B87 in front of her and said, “Of course not, I’m not that petty. It’s probably Jiang Suliu who doesn’t want to play with you. Think about it—did you do anything recently to upset him?”

Xiao Shen gasped in horror, “Could it be that he found out I secretly called him a simp?!”

Yueyin: … Was that really ‘secretly’? You practically said it to his face!

She coughed and said vaguely, “Yeah, probably.”

Shen Xiaodi panicked, “I’m just one star away from Diamond rank! I need to find Brother Jiang and apologize!”

He hurried off, and Yue Yin clicked her tongue in amusement. Luckily, she was quick-witted—Shen Xiaodi had almost guessed the truth.

Forbidden Item B87 frowned, frustrated and confused after its plan failed.

Yue Yin watched as it bounced angrily in the air and impatiently called toward the door, “Alright, Fatty Xiao, go to bed already.”

Immediately, a dissatisfied voice came from outside, “Wow, you’re calling me Fatty Xiao again! I’m not fat! I’m handsome, okay!”

Yue Yin shouted back, “Fatty Xiao! Fatty Xiao! Fatty Xiao!”

Shen Xiaodi stomped his feet in frustration and ran off, crying.

Forbidden Object B87 glared at her, expressionless, “You’re such a jerk.”

How could someone be such a nasty sister? Disgusting!

“Wow, you’re insulting me,” Yue Yin said in mock surprise.

“Idiot!” Forbidden Item B87, having not witnessed the sibling conflict it had hoped for, was clearly irritated with Yue Yin.

It floated menacingly in front of her, threatening, “Give me your eyeball! Now! Or you’ll be violating the rules, and I’ll devour you!”

Yue Yin stared at the tiny eyeball and smiled, “I like your style.”

“Cruel, yes, but also a bit clever. The best part, though, is how stupid you are—it’s hilarious.”

Forbidden Item B87 didn’t understand what she was saying, thinking it was just the desperate struggle of its prey. It hovered in the air, greedily eyeing Yue Yin and muttering, “What should I eat first? Of course, the eyeball… I love the taste of eyeballs.”

Yue Yin remained seated and said calmly, “Meet him.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the room darkened. A shadow appeared, filling the space and swallowing all light.

The shadow grew larger and larger until a grotesque ghostly face emerged from it, stepping out.

The figure was tall, as high as the ceiling, with a gaunt body and limbs thin like dead branches. Its head, about the size of a soccer ball, was dominated by hollow eye sockets that took up nearly half its face.

The shadowy figure, towering and eerie, bent its long, stretching neck as it floated toward the once-boastful Forbidden Item B87.

“At your command, great master,” the ghostly figure said, its massive, terrifying eyes filled with mockery as it stared at Forbidden Item B87.

The transformation was too fast. The A-level malevolent spirit standing before them exuded such immense power that resistance seemed impossible. Forbidden Item B87, who had been so smug just moments before, was now frozen in terror, unable to speak.

“W-what is happening?” it mumbled in fear.

Wasn’t the person in front of it just an ordinary high school girl? Why was this A-level malevolent spirit calling her “great master”?

“Did you really think that school spirit let me go out of kindness?” Yue Yin stepped forward, and the ghost obediently moved aside.

She grabbed the floating eyeball and said softly, “I love idiots like you. Thank you for giving me such an entertaining evening.”

There are always creatures in this world that are foolish, sharp-tongued, small, and laughable.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely B87’s fault—it was, after all, only the size of an eyeball. How much brainpower could it really have?

“Wait! No! Respected master, great one, I beg you! Please, I beg you!!” Forbidden Item B87 finally realized what it had provoked and screamed and pleaded frantically in Yue Yin’s grasp.

“I can help you spy on anyone in the world, anyone! Please, spare me, spare my life, I can help you conquer the world…”

The room was filled with B87’s desperate cries.

Yue Yin turned her gaze to the moonlight streaming in through the window. The moon was bright and gentle, and she clasped her hands together, her pale fingers intertwined.

“Today’s a full moon. I really didn’t want to kill anyone.”

The moon has its phases—sometimes full, sometimes waning. On crescent nights, she felt bored, on full moons, she was in a good mood, and when it rained and the sky was covered with dark clouds, she was angry.

Yue Yin muttered to herself, “It’s a full moon today, but you’re too noisy.”

Her pale fingers released their grip, and the fine powder that had been Forbidden Item B87 scattered into the air, blown away by a gentle breeze.

The once-arrogant B-level forbidden item had now completely disappeared from the world.