The clear river was stained bright red, with many monster corpses floating in it, carried away by the current.
Suddenly, a beautiful figure leaped out of the water. She had long, emerald-green hair, and her body was completely naked. The upper part of her body was almost like that of a human, but the lower part was like a fish's tail.
**Mermaid!**
The mermaid jumped out of the water in a panic, but the next moment might have been just a blink of an eye. Under the water, an overly white hand appeared first, and its sharp nails, like blades, pierced directly into the mermaid's chest.
In an instant, bright red blood splashed accompanied by the mermaid's wail, emitting a very sweet smell.
Su Mo's vision was tinted red by the blood without any discomfort. On the contrary, the mermaid's blood made his body and mind feel extremely happy.
Standing on the rock, showering in the mermaid's blood, until the mermaid shed her last drop of blood, he threw away the mermaid's body like trash, leaving only a stone in his hand that emitted a more enticing smell than a magical stone.
The taste was irresistible—
As the magic stone entered his throat, every cell in his body seemed to rejoice...
"...!"
In the alley where even the magic stone lamp couldn't illuminate, Su Mo suddenly opened his eyes.
His footsteps stopped, the pleasure of killing, the physical and mental pleasure, and the irresistible taste quickly faded, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of nausea and discomfort. But he hadn't eaten for two days and couldn't vomit at all.
Suppressing his physical and mental discomfort, Su Mo used the moonlight to provide weak light. His eyes pierced through the darkness and looked ahead, then looked back at the path.
He didn't remember how he got here. Not long ago, he was clearly under the bridge, sleeping against the wall.
Sleepwalking?
NO! It wasn't a dream at all, it was a memory belonging to 'him', the other 'him'.
Without realizing it, he had become 'him', and the mother called 'Dungeon' was calling him.
**Labyrinth City - Orario**
It had been three days since he came to this world. Initially, Su Mo felt delighted to travel through time, but now, all he felt was despair.
As a time traveler, a time traveler who came with his own 'system' plug-in, a time traveler who not only came with his own 'system' plug-in but also knew the plot, if he followed the routine, it might have been a fantasy adventure opening up a different world and entering a new stage of life, no longer just an ordinary journey.
However, reality was far more absurd than the story.
When he woke up, what Su Mo saw was no longer the room he was familiar with, but a lush green forest. He himself had undergone a significant change. Although he was twenty-six years old, it seemed he suddenly reverted to looking fifteen or sixteen years old.
It took him a while to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and he finally opened his own system plug-in. But before he could take a closer look, he died.
A rough dagger made of unknown material pierced the back of his heart, killing him with a single deadly blow.
Everything happened so suddenly.
From waking up to dying, it was no more than five minutes. Even from start to finish, he couldn't see who killed him.
What he could be sure of now was that he, who was supposed to die, seemed to have been split into two people, and the place where he died was called the underground city.
Su Mo wasn't sure if he had been resurrected from death because he didn't remember leaving the dungeon. According to the guild, he was brought out of the dungeon by a group of well-meaning adventurers. But anyway, surviving was a blessing.
Although he lost one eye, lost his system, and even his physical fitness suddenly wasn't as good as before, he still survived... Su Mo had comforted himself like this many times, but the cruelty of reality made it difficult for him to comfort himself. It seemed more and more ridiculous.
Because everything wasn't over at all, the one who resurrected him might not be someone else at all, but the dungeon with 'living' characteristics.
Even if he left the dungeon, he could never escape the dungeon's shackles. The other 'him' who couldn't suppress his desire to kill, bloodthirsty, swallowed the magical stone, becoming stronger but turning into a monster, gradually eroding his will and trying to assimilate him. Even the mother named 'Dungeon' called him, and 'he' in his dream could hear 'his' voice.
The price for survival is becoming a monster——
Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth and the 'sweet' taste still lingering on his body, the smile on Su Mo's face became increasingly bitter and sad. Before he could glimpse the view of heaven, he fell into an abyss and kept falling. This might be the best description of his situation in the past few days.
"Eh, yes...?"
There was a strange sound behind him. When Su Mo looked back unconsciously, his mouth and nose were covered.
There was also a smell like grass juice.
Mongolian sweat medicine——
Su Mo reacted and struggled hard, but he was powerless.
Compared to the person behind him, Su Mo, whose feet were lifted off the ground and tightly embraced by thick arms, looked like a child who liked to go outside. No matter how weakly he struggled, he couldn't break free from the strong prison.
"Stop struggling."
The voice, playful yet deeply malicious, said, "I've been watching you for two days. Anyway, you have no destination. If you follow me, you might find a good place. A child with smooth skin and tender flesh like you, as long as you dress up, many people will like you."
Human trafficking? Slavery?
Anger surged within him, but Su Mo's struggle grew weaker, and his vision blurred.
His eyelids felt heavy, and waves of lethargy washed over him...
Despair enveloped Su Mo's body and mind like the deep night.
Kidnapped, sold like an object, and eventually becoming a slave or being sold to someone as a slave, does he really deserve freedom after his liberty has been restricted? Once his 'monster' side is revealed, what will happen to him?
Will everything end even before it starts?
What is this? Is this retaliation for not acting quickly enough?
Without any further incident, that weak struggle soon ended. The world spun, and Su Mo was lifted onto a strong person's shoulder.
The strong person walked backward quickly, his steps nimble.
His heavy eyelids finally closed the last gap. At the end of his consciousness, Su Mo suddenly felt that nothing mattered anymore.
There is no need to become a slave and survive.
Rather than becoming a complete monster, dying as a human might be a relief for him.
Unfortunately, I can't die now...
"!"
Suddenly, Su Mo felt a stabbing pain in his heart.
His lethargic consciousness suddenly awakened, and in his mind, he recalled the moment his chest was pierced, the shock, the reluctance, and the pain and despair of life as the blood flowed...
'I don't want to die.'
He had just experienced a painful death not long ago.
'I don't want to die.'
Time travel, death, resurrection from death, being cursed, having his freedom restricted, and being reduced to slavery, what kind of absurd fate is this?
Was he brought back to life just to die again?
Who would be willing to accept such a fate——
'...Give me, wake up!'
Before everything becomes futile, in the labyrinth city where humans and gods live together, there is clearly the main golden key to self-realization.
As long as he could gain the favor of the gods, he might be able to resist assimilation, and he might find hope to escape the "deep abyss," and he would no longer be helpless and at the mercy of others like he is now.
Everything isn't over yet; it's just beginning, and it's not time to give up.
No matter how embarrassing it is, no matter how humiliating it is, he at least still has the right to give the middle finger to bad luck.
Experiencing a cowardly death once is enough. Even if he has to die this time, he will die with enthusiasm.
'Move, move, move, move.'
As long as he isn't dead, as long as he is still breathing, there is still something he has to do.
Strong reluctance supported Su Mo to open his heavy eyes again, and supported him to bite the tip of his tongue...
"Ah--!"
It was a short yet reluctant cry.
The sound wasn't loud and was quickly interrupted by the strong man who reacted with a powerful punch, but it finally broke the silence of the dark night.
After receiving a hard blow to his temple, Su Mo felt the whole world scream and tremble...
The strong man covered Su Mo's mouth and nose again with a sweat towel soaked in medicinal liquid. At the same time, the strong man's eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. After ensuring there was no reaction around, he sighed heavily, but just as he was about to speed up and leave, a sharp greeting echoed in the dark night.
"Hello!"
In the dim night, a female elf wearing white pajamas and holding a wooden knife walked slowly.
"As far as human traffickers are concerned, it's very unprofessional to carry someone directly on your shoulder, but the child being treated roughly shouldn't be your family. So, can you tell me, what is the relationship between you and this child? Is it important?