Chapter 293: Fission Scream: Wudu

‘What’s going on?’

‘Are they giving me an opening on purpose?’

Li Miao couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

But he couldn’t dwell on it. Whatever the reason, it was a good thing. He had to take care of Xiali Milir first.

The rest of the battle was straightforward enough.

Whenever Li Miao attacked Xiali Milir, the latter’s song would falter, and an army formed from the Power of Madness would be unleashed.

The faster he attacked, the stronger the army became.

But if he waited a while, the army’s strength would wane along with Xiali Milir’s song, eventually weakening or even disappearing entirely…

‘Why is this happening?’

This only deepened Li Miao’s suspicion.

[You have slain Song of Exile: Xiali Milir]

[Acquired: Wax Oil x67]

[Acquired: Pure Throat Bone (Treasure Collection)]

[Acquired: Old Music Box]

Under Li Miao’s sustained assault, Xiali Milir’s Blood Volume finally dropped to zero, and he died.

After slaying him, Li Miao picked up the loot to inspect it.

[Pure Throat Bone]

[Type: Accessory]

[Effect: ① When carried, it calms the mind. Spirit +1. ② When used actively, it can dispel some of the mental effects on the user.]

[Explanation: A flawlessly pure throat bone.]

[Old Music Box]

[Type: Other]

[Explanation: An old box capable of preserving music.]

Li Miao pressed the button on it, and a slightly distorted song began to play.

“Black-crowned leaves… white-fruited flowers…”

It was the same song Xiali Milir had just been singing.

“…”

Xiali Milir’s loot gave Li Miao a bad feeling.

‘Don’t tell me… I made the wrong choice?’

CRACK—

Just as he was lost in thought, Xiali Milir’s remains underwent an unexpected transformation.

His remains didn’t dissipate. Instead, they twisted in agony, veins bulging from the skin.

From between his brows, a crimson light suddenly erupted, exploding outward like a vortex as agonized wails and tragic songs echoed from within.

The cheerful clapping of the High Platform Audience mingled with the sounds.

The once-elegant concert hall instantly transformed into a ruin littered with corpses, with scarlet Blood of Madness flowing through every crack.

The crimson light coalesced, and Wudu’s figure materialized before Xiali Milir’s body. He began to madly gnaw on the corpse’s head, making sickening sounds of chewing and swallowing.

A moment later, he finished his meal.

Xiali Milir’s remains dissipated completely.

“Thank you…”

A hoarse voice of thanks came from the side. Li Miao turned to see an ethereal soul thanking him.

The next moment, Wudu’s Soul walked toward its own body, as if about to merge with it.

However, just as his soul was about to merge with his flesh, something unexpected happened.

“Hee hee…”

“Wudu… you pitiful worm!!!”

With a maddened shriek, a blood-red Soul Body bloomed from within Wudu’s physical form. It reached out, grabbed Wudu’s Soul, and tossed it into its own cavernous, bloody maw.

“AHHH—”

A pained scream rang out as Wudu’s entire body began to swell and transform, the souls within twisting and tangling together.

BOOM—

A powerful aura erupted. A blood-red blast of energy exploded outward, sending everything flying.

Li Miao’s pupils constricted. He ignited Warfire and raised his Shield to block, struggling to keep his footing like a small boat in a raging storm.

[You have been corrupted by Madness. Maximum Spiritual Value -1. Abnormal status accumulating…]

[You have been corrupted by Madness. Maximum Spiritual Value -1. Abnormal status accumulating…]

[…]

The abnormal status was accumulating rapidly. Li Miao had to divert some of his focus to use Law Oath, which finally halted the corruption of Madness just before its meter filled.

Thankfully, the terrifying blast of energy subsided in the next moment.

The concert hall was now a complete ruin, with nothing but shattered walls, broken ramparts, and flowing scarlet blood.

Below, the High Platform Audience, their eyes glowing red, continued to clap.

“Never be bullied again…”

“Slaughter… SLAUGHTER!!!”

Li Miao lowered his Large Shield and followed the ear-piercing shriek with his eyes. Wudu had now completely devolved into a terrifying amalgamation of the Power of Madness.

Scarlet eyes, trailing flaps of human skin, a long, tumorous proboscis… all the horrifying features of the Xiali Mir Orchestra members from the blood-red world had appeared on its body.

[Fission Scream: Wudu]

[Tier: Scorching Charcoal]

[Level: 40]

[Warfire: Fission Spirit (Can be used for Fire Ignition)]

[Talent: Fission Scream]

[Skills: Madness Burst, Xiali Mer’s Song, Human Skin Drum Music, Violin Blood Ear, Bursting Gaze.]

[Explanation: The pitiable soul has finally recovered its sanity. Yet what seems to have come with it is a maddening scream…]

‘Crap!’

The moment he saw Wudu, Li Miao’s heart sank.

He had a feeling he’d made the wrong choice.

Instead of regaining his sanity, Wudu seemed to have fallen completely into Madness.

‘How the fuck did I create such a terrifying monster?!’

Li Miao’s scalp tingled with dread.

Just then, Wudu turned its gaze on Li Miao.

It didn’t attack right away. Instead, it revealed a twisted smile.

The wrinkled human skin on its face made the smile especially grotesque and horrifying.

The next moment, it slowly extended a hand toward Li Miao in an apparent gesture of friendship.

“Thank… you… friend…”

Li Miao frowned.

But in the next instant.

Its expression turned savage. In a flash, it slammed its hands together, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that shot straight toward Li Miao.

“Kill!”

‘A sneak attack!’

BOOM—

The terrifying soundwave struck. Li Miao didn’t even have time to raise his Shield before his body was sent flying, carving a long trench through the rubble.

He didn’t stop until he slammed into a stone pillar that hadn’t completely collapsed.

“Dammit…”

Li Miao cursed under his breath. Forcing himself up through the pain, he opened his eyes only to be met with a blood-red gaze…

[DEATH]

…

With a grim expression, Li Miao’s body reformed next to the Milestone Spirit Candle.

He then glanced at the surrounding, blood-soaked Mysterious High Platform and let out a soft sigh.

After a moment of thought, he tried to teleport to the cave entrance at the foot of the cliff.

[Unable to Teleport to this milestone]

“So, once Wudu’s complete form appears, there’s no way to go back, huh…”

His mouth twitched. He instantly realized this was a consequence of the live event that had just played out.

Once Wudu’s complete form appeared, the hidden map became inaccessible.

‘So, should I have just ignored Wudu’s request and left?’

Li Miao’s brows furrowed tightly.

‘Whatever. I’ll head back and see what the others are up to first.’

Fission Scream was clearly not going to be an easy opponent. While it didn’t seem as despair-inducing as Tasolomo, it also wasn’t a fight he could win in a short amount of time.

…

Li Miao quickly teleported back to Candle Island and started looking up information about the Mysterious High Platform.

At first, he saw many anxious questions from players.

“Fuck, this instance is so half-assed. The mobs don’t attack, the boss is a total pushover. What kind of garbage design is this?”

“Something’s wrong, I can’t even get into the hidden map. Which asshole left their wax mark up there?! Fucking degenerate!”

Seeing this message, Li Miao couldn’t help but crack an innocent-looking smile.

It was clear that without a guide, every player was running into their own unique set of problems.

“Guys, I found the hidden storyline!”

“After you kill the mini-bosses, don’t leave right away. Go grind some mobs for a while, then come back. You’ll be able to fight the boss’s second phase.”

“You’ll also meet an NPC named Wudu. After you find him, go to the side of the platform. You can kill a butterfly there to get a High Tier Battle Ash and a set piece.”

But other players had also figured this out and were posting tips.

‘So Wudu probably isn’t a dynamic event NPC either.’

This caused many players to have a sudden realization, followed by immense regret.

“Damn! I knew it! I was wondering why the mobs on the Mysterious High Platform didn’t attack and why the boss was so weak!”

“So that’s how it works, that’s how it works!”

“I missed out on a fortune.”

“…I went straight to the concert hall and killed Xiali Milir. Nothing happened, so I just thought I’d cleared the instance.”

“Nice, that works too? I thought you had to kill them one by one.”

“Huh… can’t we just not kill these bosses and monsters? They don’t seem like they want to attack me.”

“What? No, what kind of stupid design is this? I’ve already made it to the concert hall, can I still find the NPC?”

“…”

Although many players had figured it out, most hadn’t progressed very far. It seemed no one else had encountered Wudu’s complete form yet.

As Li Miao continued to scroll, a message suddenly caught his eye.

Poems and the Faraway Place: “How far have you gotten?”