Chapter 502: Demonized and Berserk, Main Quest

Chapter 502: Chapter 502: Demonized and Berserk, Main Quest

Less than a minute had passed since Seraphina Sullivan entered the dungeon.

Danger had already arrived.

Her gaze sharpened instantly.

She made a grasping motion with her right hand, and a light flickered in her palm—

Skill: [Magic Scissors]

The phantom of a massive pair of scissors materialized in her hand, its blades shimmering with a cold, magical light.

The moment the vines closed in, Seraphina moved.

The scissors swung, and a cold light flashed.

"SNIP—!"

The first few vines to rush her were severed on the spot, spewing a strange green fluid from the cuts.

The fluid hissed as it hit the ground, corroding it and leaving scorched black pits.

Seraphina didn’t pause.

The enormous scissors were like an extension of her body. She slashed left and right, cut high and low, and with every swing, a swath of vines was severed and fell away.

A sharp screech seemed to echo through the air.

It wasn’t a physical sound, but a fluctuation on the level of spiritual power, as if something was wailing in agony.

But after the screech, the surrounding plants began to tremble even more violently.

More vines surged from farther away, and even the grass on the ground began to grow wildly, trying to ensnare her ankles.

Moss on the tree trunks squirmed, looking as if it would peel off and leap at her face.

A chill went down Seraphina’s spine.

’Did I just stir up a whole nest of them?’

She didn’t linger to fight.

With another swing of her Magic Scissors, she cut down the last batch of vines blocking her way. Then, fast as lightning, she bolted in the direction where the vines were sparser.

Along the way, vines frantically tried to block her, grass desperately coiled around her, and even low shrubs uprooted themselves to obstruct her path.

But Seraphina’s scissors were too fast.

Amid flashes of cold light, all obstacles were cut to pieces.

Like a silver bolt of lightning, she tore a path straight through the plants’ encirclement and escaped the kill zone.

...

She didn’t know how long she had been running, but eventually, the surrounding plants returned to normal, no longer attacking and just growing peacefully.

Seraphina slowed her pace, cautiously observing her surroundings, and found she had reached a... clearing?

No, not a clearing.

She looked up and ahead.

A dilapidated building stood there. Its walls were mottled, its windows shattered, and a rickety sign hung above the main entrance—

"Ashworth No. 4 Middle School"

Seraphina froze.

She looked back at the dense, almost frenzied tropical rainforest behind her, then at the building that was clearly a city school, and fell into deep thought.

’How could there be a school in the middle of a tropical rainforest?’

’Unless...’

She looked up at the sky.

The dense canopy blotted out the sun, making it almost impossible to see the sky.

But through the gaps, she could faintly make out the silhouettes of tall buildings in the distance—and they were definitely not trees.

A city.

This place was originally a city.

It had just been completely devoured by plants.

Seraphina took a deep breath. Instead of rushing into the school, she first found a relatively concealed spot nearby—behind a large rock, hidden by shrubs on three sides, with a clear line of sight and an easy escape route.

She sat leaning against the rock and closed her eyes to organize her thoughts.

’First, this dungeon is called the "Demonic Apocalypse."’

’Demonization, based on the behavior of those vines, probably means that living creatures—including plants—have undergone some kind of mutation, making them extremely aggressive.’

’Those vines were clearly hunting, and I was their prey.’

’Second, this is a large-scale, multiplayer survival dungeon. The number of surviving Players is unknown, but there are definitely a lot of them.’

’And last—’

She opened her eyes and pulled up her system panel.

She prepared to check the main and side quests for this dungeon.

"I hope the quests aren’t too difficult." ℯ𝓵.

She muttered to herself, "And also... I hope it’s not another Player-versus-Player quest."

The cruelty of the last Trial Dungeon was still fresh in her mind.

The betrayal, slaughter, and deceit among Players were more terrifying than any zombies.

If this dungeon was also about Players killing each other...

Seraphina clenched her fists, then slowly relaxed them.

’No matter what, I have to survive first. I need to figure out the rules of this world.’

She stood up, her gaze falling upon the dilapidated school building.

Ashworth No. 4 Middle School.

Seraphina did not enter the school rashly.

In an unknown dungeon, recklessness was the deadliest mistake.

She needed information, she needed help, and she needed to understand the rules of this world.

She took a deep breath.

Flora Sullivan’s true form was a Decaying Flower; Seraphina wanted to see if the world’s Demonization would affect her.

As for Tubbs, the Flame Chicken, his Flame was a natural counter to the frenzied plants.

Two flashes of light appeared.

Flora Sullivan’s slender figure appeared by her side, her long hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her amber eyes held the dazed look of one who had just been summoned.

Immediately after, a searing Aura washed over them—Tubbs, his body covered in fiery feathers, landed on the ground. His comb stood tall, and his beady eyes darted around, cautiously surveying the area.

"Master?" Flora Sullivan frowned slightly. "This is..."

"A new dungeon."

Seraphina explained succinctly, "The Demonic Apocalypse. I need you two to see if the environment here affects you."

Flora Sullivan nodded, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

The next second, her expression changed drastically.

Her amber eyes snapped open, a strange red glow surfacing in their depths.

Her body began to tremble slightly, and her long hair drifted as if in a wind, as though something was awakening inside her.

"Master..." Her voice grew hoarse, filled with an irrepressible agitation. "I feel... so awful..."

Seraphina immediately stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What’s wrong?"

"There’s... an angry Power..."

Flora Sullivan gritted her teeth, cold sweat beading on her forehead. "It’s infecting me... Something in the air is seeping into my body, making me feel extremely irritable... I want... I want to kill..."

She snapped her head up, the red light in her eyes flaring brighter, her expression a mix of pain and struggle. "Master, I can’t stay in this dungeon!

This dungeon... This dungeon affects plants and animals!

It’s amplifying my instincts, making me lose control!"

Meanwhile, Tubbs let out an agitated series of clucks.

The Flame Chicken seemed like a completely different bird now.

It spun in place, the feathers on its neck standing on end. Its beak opened and closed, occasionally spitting out a small lick of flame.

It stared at a nearby bush, its eyes filled with a savage impulse, as if it desperately wanted to charge over and burn the plant to ash.

Flora Sullivan glanced at Tubbs with difficulty, her voice trembling. "He is too... We’re both being affected..."

Seraphina’s heart sank.

She understood.

’In this world, perhaps all living things, both animal and plant, have been affected by the Demonization.’

’Plants, animals, and maybe other creatures—they’ve all been corrupted by that strange Energy in the air, turning them irritable, bloodthirsty, and aggressive.’

’And beings that are inherently plants or animals are even more severely corrupted.’