Darkness shrouded the land, engulfing the entire town of Cafuno.
Wayne and Mike didn't need to argue about who would enter the door first; the Door of Truth, seeing no one paying attention to it for half a day, decided to just swallow everyone up.
Veronica was right; only legendary mages were qualified to enter the Door of Truth, and Mike was far from meeting the standard. Trying to use the Golden Triangle Magic Array as a shortcut led to the Door of Truth going out of control and directly entering a rampage state.
Even true legendary mages wouldn't dare to rashly open the Door of Truth. Mike's audacity stemmed from ignorance.
But obviously, Mike was oblivious to all this. He was immersed in the joy of entering the Door of Truth, arms raised high, awaiting the arrival of infinite knowledge.
Knowledge came, like a tidal wave.
In almost an instant, Mike's thirst for knowledge was satisfied. He traversed the endless depths of space, acquired the truths of the world, and thus became infinitely powerful.
From Wayne's perspective, as Mike raised his hands, he suddenly lost his vitality.
Just like that, completely, without any ripples.
The black mass collapsed and disintegrated, the laws it contained returning to the cosmos. Mike realized his dream, merging with knowledge, never to be separated.
Mike departed peacefully, his emotions stable. This scene made Wayne's scalp tingle, prompting him to search for the pathway of the Door of Truth.
Instinctively, he had a premonition that he needed to leave now; if he delayed any longer, it might be too late.
Unlike Mike, whose intelligence was reset upon entering the Door of Truth, Wayne became more lucid. However, he couldn't control his body; his movements were sluggish.
The monstrous giant's skin completely came to life, wrinkled flesh breathing in and out. Its large eyeballs showed extreme pleasure, satisfied to the utmost.
Wayne merged with the Book of Greed; the book's happiness became his. But the uncontrolled joy made him increasingly uneasy. He worried that if he let the Book of Greed indulge itself, he would become the next Mike, assimilated into the cosmos.
One must know oneself. It was said that only legendary mages were qualified. As for magic apprentices, they shouldn't dream of it.
Wayne shouted, forcibly interrupting the spell, commanding the Book of Greed to restrain its desires. Otherwise, he would go mad, and everyone would suffer the consequences.
If the Book of Greed understood restraint, it wouldn't be the Book of Greed but the Book of Courtesy.
Wayne forcibly stopped the magic. The ugly skin slowly faded away, shrinking from three meters tall to his normal appearance. However, the large eyeball in his chest area refused to give up, struggling wildly.
A mental tug-of-war ensued, seemingly between Wayne and the Book of Greed, but it was actually Wayne battling against another self.
One represented reason, the other, greed!
In the face of life and death, reason ultimately triumphed over greed. The eyeball retracted into Wayne's body, reluctantly ending this feast of excess.
This was Wayne's first time merging with the Book of Greed. During the fusion process, the greed overwhelmed everything, and because of the initial indulgence, his mind suffered significant erosion.
The most visible manifestation was the eyeball-shaped scar on Wayne's chest after returning to his human form.
Wayne paid no attention to these signs. He didn't have much time. Thanks to supernatural intuition, he found a weak point in the cosmic expanse.
The Door of Truth was still open. There was still time to leave.
After a few steps, Wayne suddenly realized that his three companions had also been swallowed by the Door of Truth.
He sniffed the air and quickly ran towards the location of the two humans and the cat.
In the deep void of space, there was no concept of up, down, left, or right, and no footholds. Strangely, one could freely walk and even breathe in it.
It was difficult to say what this universe really was!
Wayne ran for a while, gradually losing strength, mainly due to the intense mental impact.
Protected by the Book of Greed, Wayne's mind wouldn't be instantly overwhelmed by the vast knowledge, allowing him to retain his sanity and know that he needed to escape quickly.
But Wayne's foundation was too weak. He had entered an advanced dungeon that he shouldn't have stepped into. Even with a divine artifact protecting him, his sanity was gradually draining away.
I'm starting to understand everything (×)
I'm going crazy (✓)
Wayne ran in a daze, the eyeball-shaped scar on his chest flickering unpredictably. The intense heat swept over his body, causing him to subconsciously discard his sense of shame and stagger aimlessly.
Soon, Wayne found his companions by following the scent. Monica and William had undergone drastic changes, but at this moment, he was too exhausted to think. He just knew that this scent was what he was looking for.
If you feel like you're carrying a heavy burden, don't worry, you're right. Someone is riding you through the peaceful years.
Wayne mechanically carried the three people on his back, his eyes losing focus, a vast emptiness consuming his vision. His body followed the last command, advancing towards the light.
Advance, keep advancing, don't stop.
In the distant reaches of deep space, an immensely huge shadow tore through the fabric of space, resembling a giant worm with spiral, menacing mouthparts lined with teeth from its oral cavity to its esophagus.
It caught the scent of flesh and salivated, rushing towards Wayne and his companions.
One kilometer!
Five hundred meters!
One hundred meters!
Ten meters!
Just as the giant beast was about to swallow the four of them, Wayne stepped through the white passage and disappeared into the depths of space.
The monster curled up and rolled, roaring with anger and frustration, its spiral mouthparts expanding as it sprayed dark green bodily fluids.
Marking a feeding spot.
Setting up an ambush first, waiting for the prey!
Wayne wasn't aware of his narrow escape from death; he had nearly become excrement. If he knew, he would be even more grateful for his judgment.
The dungeon was too advanced, beyond his capabilities. Right now, he had only one thing to do.
Sneakily level up!
Wayne woke up laughing; he had just had a beneficial dream for his body and mind.
By the lakeside cabin, he was fishing when three long-haired female ghosts crawled out of the water. Their faces were indistinct, but they looked fierce, baring their teeth and claws as they lunged at him.
The three female ghosts, full of murderous intent, seemed like they wanted to ravage him. Nervous and forgetting to resist, Wayne was pinned down by them.
Full and perky, smooth and elastic to the touch.
As Wayne watched the female ghosts strip him of his clothes, he woke up with a laugh at the last moment, prematurely ending this silver party.
Feeling a bit regretful, why did he wake up!
"If you're capable, continue. I don't mind, but my friend wants to watch..."
Wayne found himself lying on the second floor of a barn, covered by a blanket with a bedsheet on top, familiar—the supplies he had purchased earlier, always kept in the trunk of his car.
He shook his groggy head and realized something was wrong.
Damn, where are my clothes?
Wasn't that just a dream!
Wayne was completely bewildered when he suddenly heard footsteps. He quickly lay back down and covered himself with the blanket.
Oh goddess, I hope it's Veronica who did this, and not William...
Monica is even worse.
A fragrant breeze wafted over as three beautiful figures surrounded Wayne, one frowning, one shy, and one eager.
"He hasn't woken up yet..."
"Then hurry up, it won't be fun if he wakes up."
"Uh..."
"What? You regret losing at rock-paper-scissors?"
"I didn't... I didn't..."
"Hey, too heartless. Wayne risked his life to save you and almost died. What's wrong with changing clothes? If you're not willing, just step aside and let me do it."
"Shut up, I'll do it!"
Veronica took a deep breath. Indeed, it was just changing clothes, nothing to be so worked up about.
Hmm, but it's a bit embarrassing.
Really ugly!