Chapter 326: Phototaxis

Chapter 326: Chapter 326: Phototaxis

He subconsciously took a step back, pressing his body tightly against the wall.

"I... I’m the one who has to test it?" His voice trembled as he instinctively took another small step back. "Wh-why me?"

Everyone knew the answer to that question. Because he was the weakest.

Alaric Hawthorn snorted, his tone hard. "If not you, then who? Don’t forget who caused trouble for everyone just now. If you hadn’t delayed us, we might not have run into this thing at all."

Fayestar also pursed her lips, giving Lyra Lowell a complicated look before finally averting her gaze.

The air seemed to freeze.

The lantern’s light flickered between the wall of flesh and the three of them, illuminating the shifting expressions of terror, indignation, and humiliation on Lyra Lowell’s face.

He knew Alaric Hawthorn’s words were harsh, but in a way, they were also true.

If he hadn’t fallen behind just now, maybe they would have made it through that corridor faster. Maybe... they wouldn’t be facing this horrifying amalgamation now.

But that didn’t mean he was willing to be sent to his death.

But the other two had made their stance perfectly clear.

With limited resources, an unknown path ahead, and pursuers behind, the team needed someone to take a risk and probe the most dangerous possibility.

And he, Lyra Lowell—the weakest, most expendable person on the team—had naturally become the default choice.

It was cruel, but in a survival game, this was a rule everyone had to follow.

Lyra Lowell’s lips trembled. He stared at the gap, at the twisted bodies slowly squirming beside it, still dripping with slime, and a wave of nausea churned in his stomach.

He wanted to refuse, to fight back, but it felt like something was blocking his throat, and he couldn’t make a sound.

He knew that if he dared to say no, he would probably be abandoned immediately, or something even worse would happen.

"...Fine."

In the end, he forced the single word out through gritted teeth, his voice as hoarse as a broken bellows.

He took a deep breath of the foul, stinking air. The last spark of light in his eyes dimmed, leaving only a gray, defeated resignation. "I’ll go."

Alaric Hawthorn seemed to let out a sigh of relief, but there was no joy on his face.

Fayestar turned her head away, her fingers unconsciously picking at the rim of the flowerpot holding Mimi.

Lyra Lowell took a deep breath, his expression heavy and grief-stricken. He placed the Sunflower he was holding on the ground. The oblivious Sunflower, not understanding what was happening, rustled its leaves, trying to touch its master.

But Lyra Lowell turned around with grim determination and took a step forward as if marching to his death. Suddenly, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

The hand was steady, tinged with a slight coolness, yet it seemed to hold an immense power that brought Lyra Lowell’s forward momentum to a sudden halt.

It was Seraphina Sinclair.

At some point, she had finished her contemplation and raised her head again. Her calm gaze swept over Fayestar and Alaric Hawthorn before finally landing on Lyra Lowell’s pale, desperate face.

"That won’t be necessary." Her voice held a certainty, as if someone had already tested it.

Lyra Lowell turned his head in astonishment to look at Seraphina Sinclair.

Fayestar and Alaric Hawthorn also froze, looking at her with confusion.

"Serafelle Sinclair, what do you mean?" Alaric Hawthorn’s brows furrowed. "This is no time to be soft-hearted! We can’t afford to waste fuel!"

Fayestar didn’t speak, but her eyes conveyed the same sentiment.

"It’s not about being soft-hearted." Seraphina Sinclair withdrew her hand and replied coolly, her gaze returning to the squirming wall of flesh. "I already know what to do."

She paused, looking up at the wall of flesh before them once more.

This was a puzzle-escape dungeon.

The ones who released the Embers earlier had forced them to flee, so this mountain of flesh that suddenly appeared must be presenting them with a puzzle to solve.

Seraphina Sinclair had already used Insight on the creature.

Insight revealed it was a C-level monster. If the four of them charged in head-on, they would just be serving themselves up as extra dishes.

Most importantly, Insight included a crucial line: when not provoked, it does not attack.

This was also why Seraphina Sinclair had concluded that this was a puzzle stage within the dungeon.

With a bit of exploratory curiosity, she took advantage of the stalemate between the other three to put on her Single Lens and take a closer look.

[Mystic Insight] always came in handy when Seraphina Sinclair least expected it, and this time was no exception.

In the vision provided by [Mystic Insight], the wall of flesh presented a bizarre sight.

The squirming flesh was no longer just a disgusting pile; it now revealed a faint flow of energy within.

A dark red, lava-like halo of light flowed slowly deep within the densely packed bodies, converging in a single direction.

More importantly, in the Single Lens’s field of view, it was as if the creature had extended countless tentacles, stretching greedily toward the lantern’s light.

’Which means... if Lyra Lowell had actually squeezed into that gap holding the lantern, only a dead end would have awaited him.’

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t care about Lyra Lowell’s life.

But if he died, she could forget about getting an S-Class Evaluation for the dungeon.

This wasn’t just an Evaluation.

It was an Advanced Medical Kit, attribute points, an Advanced Meal Voucher—it was her happiness for the next week.

Therefore, Lyra Lowell absolutely could not die.

As her thoughts reached this point, the contents of the Stone Tablet suddenly flashed into her mind.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced thoughtfully at the Sunflower Lyra Lowell had placed on the ground. Her intuition told her the Sunflower would be of great use later.

And this great use might come at a price its owner would be unable to bear.

Most importantly, there was no connection between the Sunflower and the survivor.

The requirement for the bonus reward was for the survivor to be alive, not the Sunflower.

Having figured this out, Seraphina Sinclair was even more certain that saving Lyra Lowell had been the right move.

She gave a light cough and, under the gazes of the other three, slowly stated her conclusion: "This monster is drawn to light."

The statement was so abrupt that the other three immediately looked confused.

After a long moment, Fayestar asked, "You mean, drawn to light like plants are in a middle school textbook?"

"So you’re saying..." Her brain finally started working. "We should turn off the lantern, squeeze through the gap, and then turn it back on? Or just endure the Embers’ attacks for a while?"

As she spoke, she suddenly looked up at Seraphina Sinclair. "But that’s all assuming you’re sure this thing won’t attack without light, Serafelle Sinclair."

Her analysis was thorough enough that Alaric Hawthorn and Lyra Lowell also subconsciously turned their gazes to Seraphina Sinclair.

As if feeling that just staring was a bit too questioning, Lyra Lowell raised a hand to rub his nose and tried to justify himself, saying, "I also think what Boss Sinclair said makes sense."

He said it with absolutely no conviction, as everyone present was well aware.

It wasn’t that he thought Seraphina Sinclair made sense; he was just afraid the others would still make him squeeze through that gap.

However...

Seraphina Sinclair raised an eyebrow. ’Who said he wasn’t needed to test the waters?’