Chapter 134

Words : 1006 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 134: Chapter 134 Clayton froze in shock at the sudden appearance of a group of mysterious creatures. As he stood motionless, the creatures darted straight toward him. Panicked, Clayton instinctively conjured a dome of water around himself. But the shadow weirds didn’t even slow down—they charged straight through without hesitation. Clayton was baffled. Were these things mindless? Did they even have a brain? But within seconds, the answer became painfully clear. Swoosh! The shadow weirds slammed into his water dome—and instead of bouncing off or being repelled, they passed through it effortlessly. That’s when Clayton realized: these creatures were immune to magic. Panic surged through him—he had no idea what to do. Desperate, he threw a punch at one of the creatures. If magic doesn’t work, maybe physical attacks will, he reasoned. Thwack! The punch landed with a dull splash—muffled by the water—but it did absolutely nothing. Worse, the creature began to seep into his hand on contact. Clayton recoiled in horror. He immediately dropped the spell and frantically shook his arm, trying to fling the thing off. But it was too late. His head began to spin. Nausea twisted his stomach, and his vision darkened. As consciousness slipped away, the rest of the shadow weirds surged forward and entered his body all at once. The discomfort skyrocketed. At the same time, a flood of painful memories—whether from Clayton or the original owner of this body—poured into his mind. They came so fast, and in such overwhelming volume, it felt like his brain might burst. Clayton’s awareness began to fade. His body grew semi-responsive, and oxygen to his brain dropped sharply. He was caught in a downward spiral—a path that would soon kill him if nothing changed. Fortunately, before things reached the point of no return, Gemma was released from the dimensional space. Seeing their master in distress, Gemma and Dingo sprang into action. Dingo could only bark and pace frantically, trying to rouse Clayton. Gemma, the glass deer, took a more direct approach. She began chanting a sacred incantation, and a soft light radiated from her antlers, bathing Clayton in a gentle glow. Swoosh! Clayton’s clouded mind rapidly cleared. The shadow weirds, unable to withstand the holy light, began to flee his body. But Gemma didn’t stop there—she concentrated the light into a piercing beam. Sssshhh! A harsh sizzling echoed through the air, like ice thrown into scalding oil. The shadow weirds writhed and shrieked in agony. As Clayton regained full consciousness, he gasped for air beneath the crushing pressure on his chest. He wanted to fight back—but the creatures moved too quickly. He couldn’t land a hit. When the area finally stabilized, Clayton collapsed, trying to catch his breath. That’s when he noticed a small black marble on the ground. Curious, he picked it up. As he stared, information flowed into his mind through his Entry ability. The marble was a condensed magical crystal—a sort of energy core or reactor left behind by the shadow weirds. It also functioned as a reproductive organ and a resurrection anchor. Unless completely destroyed, the shadow weirds could revive from these marbles. Worse, if the marble shattered, each shard could regenerate and spawn a new creature. Clayton nodded grimly. These marbles were living entities in disguise—capable of "hatching" at any moment. Intrigued, he stored it away. Even if he didn’t use it to replicate shadow weirds, it could serve as a rare dark-attribute resource. But his rest was short-lived. Another wave of shadow weirds was already approaching. Clayton frowned. There were far too many to fend off with just purification scrolls. Then he remembered the phrase spoken when he entered this trial: "Leave the shadow." In the last trial, the goal had been to seek the light. That made the objective here clearer—find the exit. But while the first trial was physical, this one was mental. Clayton grew frustrated. In every world, mental challenges are always trickier than physical ones. And right now, I have no idea what to do. Sensing his shaken mental state, the shadow weirds attacked again. With no other choice, Clayton activated another purification scroll. For a moment, the creatures were pushed back. But the stronger ones pressed forward—and once again, Clayton was overwhelmed. Gemma rushed to his side and saved him once more. Eventually, Clayton regained consciousness. In his weakened state, he managed to kill one shadow weird. But it wasn’t enough. Gemma looked exhausted, and Clayton’s supply of scrolls was quickly running out. He still hadn’t found a true solution. After the creatures were expelled from his body, Clayton felt completely drained. Overexerting his spiritual energy had taken a toll—his body had burned through massive reserves to keep his soul from collapsing. His vision went completely dark. While he was blind, one of the shadow weirds lunged at him. He didn’t hear it—couldn’t sense it. Just as it was about to strike, Dingo, visibly agitated, leapt in front of Clayton. The attack hit Dingo instead. At first, the dog seemed okay. Then he let out a terrified, high-pitched whimper—the sound of something dying slowly and painfully. Clayton, still dazed, heard the anguished cries of his beloved companion. "Dingo? What’s wrong?" he called out, voice shaking. No answer—only louder, more frantic yelps. Seeing Dingo’s condition worsen by the second, Clayton panicked. He pulled out another purification scroll and a special potion from his emergency kit. After drinking the potion, Clayton felt a slight recovery—but Dingo only got worse. He thrashed violently, screaming in raw panic. Clayton’s vision slowly returned—blurry, but functional. His heart pounded in dread. He quickly bathed himself in the scroll’s purifying light. After a prolonged struggle, his vision cleared further. But something far worse came into view. Dingo lay on the ground, convulsing violently—froth pouring from his mouth. Clayton’s heart dropped. He rushed to Dingo and tried to focus the light directly on him. But before he could— Dingo went limp. Clayton’s eyes widened. His pupils contracted in horror. "Ahhh... D-Dingo... what’s happening?! Don’t scare me like this!"

Chapter 134

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