"Anyway, Transformation Techniques rely more on talent than regular miracles, mainly the combination of imagination and action. To extend Reinforce Body to an external object, you first have to visualize the object as a part of your body, and then modify Reinforce Body based on that,"
Although they didn't have much time, Nie Hong still briefly explained the basics.
Mithra listened carefully. Nie Hong wanted to demonstrate, but he was a bit embarrassed. He wasn't proficient, and he couldn't activate it immediately.
To conserve sense power, Mithra stopped him from trying further and decided to figure it out herself.
This left Nie Hong feeling a little defeated. He silently added mastering Reinforce Body extension transformations to his list of goals.
As they continued through the mansion, they encountered a significant number of cursed creatures, indicating that many people had died here.
The roar they heard upon entering, along with the presence of the cursed knight, was enough to prove the mansion's danger.
Even a Night Hunter knight could die here. What exactly happened in this family mansion?
"Huh? Mithra, did you kill this cursed creature?" Nie Hong asked, pointing to a dismembered corpse in the mansion hallway.
Mithra was currently pummeling an eyed spider monster with her hammer.
Hearing this, she glanced over. "No."
Then she continued hammering, because the spider monster had almost touched her face with its legs. Too dirty.
Although she was covered in a mixture of monster fluids and blood, and only retained a human shape, she'd probably terrify the townspeople again if they saw her.
"That must be the first victim. Looks pretty fresh. It's probably not Hundr Hokuten," Nie Hong speculated after looking at the corpse.
The monster's shrieks ended. Mithra walked over and glanced at the body, seemingly uninterested. "Let's go."
Mithra's goal was clear—Safin's pendant. Besides that, she didn't care who lived or died. She wasn't interested in most things.
After crossing the central courtyard, they continued searching the rooms.
One room was splattered with paint and contained a single weak cursed creature. Judging from the layout and tools, it was an art studio.
Mithra and Nie Hong glanced inside and moved on.
The next notable room was a study.
It seemed someone had already thoroughly searched it. Several items were displayed prominently, and Mithra and Nie Hong didn't need to search themselves.
On the desk, they found an old letter. It was addressed to the Night Hunters church, and the sender was the infamous Erik.
After reading the contents, Nie Hong frowned. "It was Erik who informed the Night Hunters church, leading them to the town."
Erik had carved out a comfortable life for himself in this mining town. He couldn't accept the town's decline. When his secret mining operation couldn't be sustained, he used some clues from the ruins in the tunnel to contact a related cult, his ambition growing.
If the greatest misfortune of the tunnels was the unearthing of the ancient Wandering God ruins, then Erik was the one who spread this misfortune!
There were other letters, also correspondence between Erik and the church. After taking over with the church's help, Erik acted as an intermediary between the church and the townspeople.
He did many things: manipulating the townspeople to work for the church, or tricking them into offering their eyes in the mansion. This mansion was filled with darkness.
The contents of the letters made Nie Hong feel both physically and mentally ill. He frowned, his hands clenching.
Mithra, however, was pragmatic. After reviewing the clues and clarifying the situation, she dragged a sullen Nie Hong out of the study.
They reached the end of the hallway.
There was a large, ornately decorated hall, with a portrait hanging in the center of the wall.
The painting's lines were distorted, the colors bold to the point of chaos. Although it formed a human face, in Mithra's opinion, it was comparable to "The Scream."
It looked like a malicious ghost painting, and it was displayed prominently in the hall.
["Erik's" Portrait: A certain schemer, after successfully usurping power, commissioned the best painter in Gross Town to create his portrait, replacing the portrait of the first Hokuten family head in the mansion's main hall. This was just an amateur painter, but driven by despair and hatred, the painting's artistic conception was perhaps comparable to a masterpiece.]
[—Try covering yourself with this painting. Perhaps you'll lose your mind.]
"It makes sense."
Nie Hong was used to Mithra's sudden pronouncements and didn't ask any further questions.
"Is anyone... there...? Just now... I heard voices..."
A faint voice came from a corner of the hall.
Mithra immediately looked over and found a person lying there.
Their breathing was weak, their Ki barely detectable. Mithra and Nie Hong hadn't noticed them when they first entered. It seemed they were on the verge of death.
The person wore intricately crafted armor, but it was mangled and torn, covered in claw marks and bite marks. A blood-stained helmet lay beside them.
As they approached, they saw it was a middle-aged man. Half of his face seemed to have been torn off. It was a gruesome sight.
"Sir! Are you alright?" Nie Hong asked, stepping forward.
"Children... such young children..."
"I'm not a child," Mithra stated matter-of-factly.
Nie Hong paused, glanced at Mithra, then back at the man, unsure what to say in this situation. He ended up just shaking his head dumbly.
It took the man a few tries to speak. "Young people from the Enchanting Land...why are you here...? There's no treasure here...leave quickly..."
"People from the Enchanting Land have a bad reputation, huh," Mithra muttered.
Nie Hong was embarrassed, his mouth opening and closing without words.
"We're not here for treasure. Something more important. You're Hundr Hokuten, aren't you?" Mithra asked directly.
Hundr raised his head slightly, trying to focus his remaining eye on Mithra. "Yes...how do you know...? No, it doesn't matter. That guy is consumed by resentment, he's become a monster...he's dangerous...no matter what you're here for...leave."
"You mean Erik?" Nie Hong asked.
"Yes... I wanted to avenge my family and the townspeople, even if it meant my death...but I didn't expect..."
He pulled out an object. Nie Hong reached out and took it—an antique, intricately crafted harmonica.
"I can't leave...but please take this...it's a Hokuten family heirloom. I don't want it lost in this cursed place...please..."
Before he could finish, Hundr's voice faded, his eyes half-closed.
Nie Hong looked at the harmonica Hundr had given him, his hand falling limp. He was momentarily stunned.
Mithra, however, turned towards another entrance to the hall.
Heavy footsteps approached, accompanied by a powerful Ki.
Boom!
The door burst open. A twisted figure entered the hall.
A grotesque human face was the first thing they saw, identical to the hideous portrait in the hall, but the face only occupied a small portion of the monstrous figure.
Its neck was grossly swollen, covered in layers of repulsive boils, from which numerous arms emerged like flowers, holding up the central face.
Its body, by comparison, seemed frail and top-heavy, its limbs thin and long, sharp claws gleaming.
"Aaarrgh—!!"
A mixture of human and monstrous roars erupted, bringing an unprecedented sense of oppression.
Mithra narrowed her eyes. This creature was alive, yet black spots appeared before her.
["Consumed by Resentment," Erik: A despicable bastard, so absorbed in his schemes that he failed to realize everything he valued could be easily discarded. He had a keen eye, but his vision was far too limited. On the night the Wandering God's curse spread, the silent resentment of the victims clung to him. He is not himself; he is them.]
[—A sewer rat, grown too plump, attempts to strut down Main Street.]
Although the information appeared before her, Mithra felt no joy.
The last time she had seen those black spots was on her other form.
Night Eyes excelled at capturing information about inanimate or unclaimed objects. It wasn't that it couldn't be used on living beings, but Mithra still didn't understand the criteria.
One thing was certain: the creature before them was very dangerous.