Chapter 449 - 448: Larva of the Bloodburst Fleshball

Chapter 449: Chapter 448: Larva of the Bloodburst Fleshball

Seraphina Sinclair threw back the covers and froze for a moment when she saw the Gloom Hatchling’s sorry state. Then, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

’It wasn’t often she got to see the Gloom Hatchling looking so wretched.’

’The little dragon was a master of loafing around and an expert on comfort. It was always impeccably clean; when had it ever been this much of a mess?’

The Gloom Hatchling was frozen stiff, its entire body tense. Its small eyes, usually so heavy with sleep they were practically rolling back in its head, were now wide and round with disbelief.

It slowly lowered its head, looking down at the sticky chunks of flesh that were still sliding down its body. Then, it looked back up at Seraphina Sinclair.

Its eyes screamed with questions: ’Who am I? Where am I? What happened? What is this situation?’ ℯ𝔴ℯ

Not content with just having a good laugh, Seraphina Sinclair pulled up the system’s camera function and recorded the scene.

The corners of Seraphina Sinclair’s lips curved upward as she admired the Gloom Hatchling’s embarrassing predicament in the photo.

But a moment later, she realized something was wrong.

’What am I so happy about?’

’The Gloom Hatchling just needed a quick rinse, but her mobile home was completely covered in this filth!’

A moment ago, her attention had been entirely on the Gloom Hatchling, so Seraphina hadn’t thought much of it. Now, the disastrous state of the mobile home registered in her eyes, and the stench of flesh lingered in her nostrils.

She couldn’t resist raising a hand to fan the air in front of her nose, trying to wave away some of the bloody smell.

Seraphina Sinclair stood there, when a sudden sense of unease washed over her.

The monsters in this world each had their own principles and instincts. But without exception, these principles and instincts served one of two purposes: either to better hunt prey—namely, humans—or to allow the monsters themselves to live better.

But regardless, one thing was certain—

Any action a monster took willingly was absolutely beneficial to itself or its entire species.

At this thought, Seraphina Sinclair immediately grew vigilant. She even crouched down and lifted the bedding to get a good look at the flesh scattered by the monster’s explosion.

The moment she saw them clearly, Seraphina Sinclair’s pupils constricted.

The pieces of flesh... they were moving, like insects. The movement was slow, but undeniably there.

They were densely packed, like a writhing mass of ants.

Seraphina Sinclair felt goosebumps prickle her skin, but her hand gripping the bedding didn’t loosen.

’Insight. I have to use Insight right now.’

’I have to figure out what this monster is, what its effects are, and... how to eliminate it! Now!’

[Monster Name: Fleshburst Glob Larva (E-level)]

[Description: A bizarre, self-detonating species of monster. Upon entering a comfortable environment, the adult will rapidly detonate its body, releasing the countless larvae within! The larvae are extremely active and begin moving immediately upon landing, searching for food and a place to make a nest. They will hide at all costs until they reach adulthood, at which point they will detonate once more!] ℯ

Reading the description on the panel, Seraphina Sinclair felt a chill run straight up her spine.

’Larvae?’

’These writhing fragments of flesh are actually larvae? They’ll hide until they mature, only to explode again?’

An image instantly flashed through her mind.

A few days from now, dozens of Fleshburst Globs would suddenly detonate inside her mobile home. Flesh and gore would fly everywhere, new larvae would scatter across the floor, and then they would hide, grow, and detonate all over again...

It was a cycle.

A terrifying cycle that would turn her home into a breeding ground of flesh.

’Aren’t these just like cockroaches? You can’t kill them, you can’t exterminate them, and the more you kill, the more there seem to be!’

Seraphina Sinclair’s breath hitched, but she quickly calmed herself.

’Panicking is useless.’

’The most important thing now is figuring out how to deal with these things.’

Her eyes quickly swept across the room.

On the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the furniture, the bedding, and the Gloom Hatchling... the writhing fragments of flesh were everywhere.

Some had already started to burrow into the cracks.

Thankfully, she had already stored the food containers Gray had given her in her Silver Moon Earrings. Otherwise, after all this, even if the food inside was perfectly clean, Seraphina knew she would be too grossed out to eat it.

She felt a fleeting moment of relief at the thought.

But it was only for a moment. The food containers might have been spared, but her mobile home, her furniture, and her bedding were not so lucky.

And then there was the Gloom Hatchling.

Seraphina Sinclair was starting to feel sorry for it now.

The poor, unlucky Little Dragon was now completely covered in the writhing flesh fragments. A few pieces had already burrowed into the gaps between its scales, making it twitch in pain.

After a moment’s thought, Seraphina Sinclair decided to just burn everything.

She chose a D-level rune, freshly drawn and brand new.

The Moon Flame Evil Cleansing Talisman had a wide area of effect, and as a D-level rune, it would be a devastating blow to the E-level larvae!

Even the slightest touch of its flame would be a death sentence for them.

Her mind made up, Seraphina Sinclair pulled out a stack of Moon Flame Evil Cleansing Talismans. The first step, of course, was to kick the Gloom Hatchling out and toss the bedding out with it. Then she could give the entire home a thorough flame disinfection.

The logic of the plan was clear, and it wasn’t a particularly difficult one to devise.

But when it came to actually putting it into practice, Seraphina Sinclair realized just how hard it would be.

The D-level runes were powerful, but while the E-level larvae were determined to hide, they weren’t going to just sit still and die when the flames were about to reach them.

In the face of death, even their hiding instinct could be overcome.

So the larvae swarmed out from the cracks, scattering toward places they thought were safe.

But why would Seraphina Sinclair give them that chance?

The larvae were tiny. Seraphina Sinclair, wielding an Iron Basin she had taken from her Silver Moon Earrings, could smash a whole patch of them just by bringing the bottom of the basin down.

It was the first time since arriving in this world that she had truly appreciated the advantage of being big.

Gripping the Iron Basin, Seraphina Sinclair slammed it down again. SPLAT. Another patch of larvae was turned into mush.

She glanced down at the sticky mess, her brow furrowing, but the motion of her hands didn’t stop.

Another slam of the basin.

SPLAT.

Another slam of the basin.

SPLAT.

After being kicked out, the Gloom Hatchling finally managed to deal with the larvae on its body and wanted to return to the house through the main door.

The fog outside was thick and it was chilly everywhere. It was nowhere near as comfortable as being inside.

But before going back in, it took a precaution, peering through the window from outside. If there were still a lot of larvae inside, it would inevitably suffer the fate of having them burrow between its scales again.

That was an agony it had no desire to experience a second time.

The Gloom Hatchling watched Seraphina Sinclair swinging the Iron Basin around, and the very tip of its tail went rigid. It was a terrifying sight for a dragon.

It felt like any second now, that Iron Basin would come crashing down on its own head.

The Sunflower, on the other hand, was watching with great interest. Its single golden eye followed Seraphina Sinclair’s movements, its flower head bobbing slightly as if it were cheering her on.

’Go, little human, go~’ its thoughts rang out. ’To the left, to the left~ To the right, to the right~ Behind you, behind you~’