In the shadows of the forest surrounding Wisteria, dozens of lurking silhouettes slowly emerged.
Wolf-like beasts, their blue-gray flesh mingled with withered vines and skeletal bones, lowered their bodies, their crimson eyes filled with hunger.
Dense clusters of wisteria vines intertwined and twisted into human shapes, with human skins hanging from them, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.
They completely cut off all escape routes on the hillside.
A dead silence instantly enveloped everyone.
No one could move; no one dared to move.
Vigi froze in place, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
Although he had never been hunted by these wolf-like or human-shaped monsters, and had never personally witnessed the overwhelming power of Wisteria's giant beast form,
he had eyes, a basic capacity for judgment, and a clear sense of self-awareness.
The monsters before him were clearly not to be trifled with, and they outnumbered them several times over.
To make matters worse, of the four of them, the proportion of those who were completely defenseless was incredibly high, leaving them with absolutely no chance of resisting.
Not only Vigi, but Zhou Caiwei realized this as well, falling into despair.
Was this really a situation a player like her—whose class was a cleaning girl and whose highest evaluation was only an A-rank—should be facing?
As for the two who had personally experienced the battle the previous night, Bai Ci and Violita, their silence was even deeper.
They understood it even more clearly.
This wasn't a battle at all. It was a one-sided hunt, an absolute slaughter.
Forget resisting—they didn't even have the right to struggle.
The mountain wind swept over the burning wooden cabin, kicking up ash and sparks that drifted down onto the silent hillside.
In the end, it was Bai Ci who spoke first, breaking the dead silence.
Bai Ci's voice was steady and calm, devoid of fear or panic.
“Why are you here?”
She raised her eyes to look directly at Wisteria, her gaze candid and without the slightest hint of evasion.
“And what's the deal with those black vines that suddenly appeared down the mountain?”
Wisteria tilted his head slightly. The carved, mask-like smile on his face didn't waver in the slightest, and his beautiful, pure purple eyes blinked gently, carrying a hint of almost innocent confusion.
“You aren't afraid of me?”
Bai Ci exhaled softly, her tone flat. “It's the same whether I'm afraid or not.”
“Fear cannot change the outcome.”
She looked at the monsters surrounding them, closing in step by step, and then at Wisteria, whose overwhelming power surpassed everything, speaking each word clearly.
“If you want to make a move, the few of us can't possibly stop you. There's no point in being afraid.”
The stagnant aura around Wisteria loosened slightly, and he chuckled softly. It was impossible to tell if he was angry or pleased, but it carried a sense of pure amusement.
“Interesting.”
“I am probably... pleased.”
He took a step forward, slowly walking toward them with a calm and unhurried pace, as if taking a leisurely stroll rather than heading into a slaughter.
The surrounding wolf-like beasts and vine figures spontaneously parted to make a path for him, showing absolute submission.
“I can tell you what you want to know.”
From beginning to end, his gaze remained fixed solely on Bai Ci. The other three people beside her were like thin air to him.
“I came here only to find you.”
“I want to eat you. It would be such a pity to let something else eat you. You should be eaten by me.”
“You came for me,” Bai Ci repeated, immediately pressing for the core of the matter. “Then what are the black wisteria vines down the mountain?”
“Yes.” Wisteria nodded, his tone casual. “In terms you can understand, that is an incarnation—the incarnation of the god of this area.”
“It has awakened because prey worth capturing has arrived.”
Bai Ci's eyes narrowed slightly as she threw out the next question. “Then what about you? Are you also an incarnation of the god?”
“No.”
Wisteria answered straightforwardly.
“I am a thrall.”
“I was born from resentment, and I am driven by its command.”
Pausing, he casually pointed toward a spot where a vine figure stood, as if distinguishing them, or perhaps emphasizing a point.
He said, “They are not.”
A thrall.
The Mountain God was the original entity of resentment, while Wisteria was a thrall born from that resentment and driven by its will.
“I see,” Bai Ci said, nodding with understanding, not surprised in the least.
Judging solely from the attitude of those wolf-like beasts and vine figures toward him, a lot could already be inferred.
Clearly, both his status and power were far superior to theirs.
With one asking and the other answering, the atmosphere was bizarrely peaceful. It didn't look like a life-or-death crisis at all, but rather like a calm session of inquiry and clarification.
This series of straightforward yet eerie words made Vigi's scalp tingle.
But at the same time, he could also see that this terrifying monster's attitude toward Bai Ci was the exact opposite of his words, carrying a rare patience and leniency.
This special treatment was far too suspicious. He wanted to know what kind of connection was hidden between the two of them.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, Zhou Caiwei beside him acted quickly, clamping her hand over his mouth.
Zhou Caiwei's grip was incredibly strong, forcing Vigi's head to tilt back toward the sky, completely choking back all his words into his throat.
She quickly shook her head at Vigi, her eyes urgent as she mouthed, “Don't talk! Don't interrupt!”
First of all, this conversation was clearly packed with critical information; if they missed it, they might never get another chance to hear anything related to the truth.
And considering the current ratio of enemies to allies, she wished she could bury herself in the sand to hide, praying she wouldn't be noticed by the mini-boss.
It would be even better if he just forgot she existed entirely.
Why was there still a fool who wanted to actively speak up and draw the enemy's attention?
Was he afraid he wouldn't die fast enough?
Vigi tried to pry Zhou Caiwei's hand away, but naturally, he couldn't budge it. He could only slightly adjust his head position, hoping not to keep tilting backward.
That was far too uncomfortable and extremely unfriendly to his neck.
Held hostage by Zhou Caiwei, Vigi was forced to swallow all his questions. He stood stiffly in place, not daring to make another move.
Even Violita, who was coughing so hard he seemed on the verge of suffocating, forced down the itch in his throat. He covered his mouth and nose with his hand, suppressing all his coughs as he watched in silence.
Everyone knew very well that Wisteria's patience right now was reserved solely for Bai Ci.
Bai Ci, however, understood exactly why Wisteria was exceptionally tolerant of her and willing to speak nicely.
Wisteria was born from resentment. Logically speaking, his attitude toward the passengers on the train should be purely hostile, with negative favorability.
But among the Ghost Bride's skills, there was a rule regarding the Rain's Message state: when the NPC was a non-human creature, the rate of favorability increase would double, and initial hostility would not be triggered.
In other words, amidst a pile of negative numbers, she was a forced zero.
Although starting at zero was very low, compared to everyone else's negative numbers, this value appeared remarkably high and conspicuous.
To sum it up in one sentence: this was a story of “my skill code overrides your favorability system.”
This unique initial state allowed her to have the qualification to speak on equal terms with the ultimate monster even in a desperate situation.
Having figured out the whole situation, Bai Ci grew even calmer. She continued to test the waters along the rhythm of the conversation, piecing together the truth of the instance step by step.
Rate on N.U.
