Chapter 984: Gray Monster

It was the fourth night since Sein had awakened.

As usual, the girl climbed into bed and lay next to Sein.

In the dilapidated wooden cabin, there was only a creaking bed and a musty quilt that smelled of mold.

The girl drifted off to sleep quickly, perhaps because she was snuggled so close to him.

A cool night breeze wafted in through the window.

The moon emerged from behind dark clouds, bathing the world in silvery light.

Much like the Magus World, this foreign plane had only a single sun and a single moon, though its sun was slightly smaller and its moon peculiarly large.

One could even make out tiny craters on the moon’s surface with the naked eye.

Due to the size of the moon, the tidal forces here were extremely strong.

Though the fishing village itself lay a half-day’s journey from the coast, the storm from a few days prior remained unforgettable.

Over the past several days, Sein had observed the villagers murmuring prayers to Ysor, the God of Storms, each time they ventured out to fish.

God of Storms...? It seemed he had landed in a world governed by a faith system.

His thoughts about the world’s background were abruptly cut short by a sound beside him—a faint, rhythmic grinding, like teeth gnashing together.

The girl who had cared for him like family now felt like a potential threat.

The white flower—once hardly visible to the naked eye and perceptible only to full-fledged mages like Sein—had fully bloomed under the bright moonlight, its seven petals unfurling with eerie grace.

An aura of death, far more potent than it had been just days ago, radiated from the spot where it grew, just behind her head.

The flower of death, rooted in her very soul, appeared vigorous and brightly hued; yet the girl herself frowned and ground her teeth, as though trapped in a nightmare.

Her body was unnaturally cold, nothing like a normal human’s warmth.

“A half-undead creature? That death flower... It looks like it was forcibly grafted onto her head,” Sein muttered, brows knitting together.

As the flower of death bloomed, the girl beside him seemed caught between life and death.

The undead were considered necromantic elemental beings.

Mages of Sein’s rank could shift freely between their physical bodies and elemental forms.

Similarly, Rank Two necromancers could switch between living vessels and necromantic essence with ease.

Such abilities were reserved for Magus World mages of Rank Two and above.

By all logic, this girl—with a life level clearly below Rank One—should not have been capable of anything remotely similar.

Her unstable mental state and the trauma she had suffered were undoubtedly connected to the flower of death.

If this was a simple anomaly, Sein might have taken the time to study her, perhaps even cure her in the process.

However, the reality was far more dangerous.

A sudden, powerful gust of death energy surged toward him.

The death flower had fixed its sights on Sein, intent on using him as its next source of nourishment!

An invisible deathly aura wrapped around his body.

An ordinary human would have been instantly paralyzed, their limbs rendered useless by the invading necromantic energy.

It was at this moment, a low, guttural roar—like that of a wild beast—echoed from outside the cabin.

Sein lifted his head just as a gray shadow, nearly two meters tall, crashed through the broken window.

The creature’s aura barely reached the level of a Rank One beast, yet its sudden appearance piqued Sein’s curiosity.

He had already concluded that no beings of such power roamed near the fishing village; the inhabitants were all ordinary people.

Interestingly, the gray monster deliberately avoided the girl in Sein’s arms as it pounced.

Its eyes glowed a faint red, burning with ferocity, as its razor-sharp claws aimed straight for his head.

Perhaps it was his past encounter with the Spider Queen, but Sein had come to despise anyone or anything that tried to reach for his head.

Had an ordinary person been in his place, the monster’s claws would have easily cracked open their skull, especially with the strange flower hindering his movements.

Yet, Sein was no ordinary person.

His calm eyes that were tinged with “wisdom” narrowed slightly.

Suddenly, two flaming arrows shot out from them.

Although he had yet to recover his full strength, the combined threat of the gray monster and the flower of death was far from enough to challenge him.

It helped that the flower’s bloom—and the monster’s ambush—had come just a little late.

Had they struck a few days earlier when Sein had first descended into this world, he might have struggled against the creature.

Now, even in his weakened state, he could still crush it.

After all, strength could be diminished but never wisdom and knowledge.

Though Sein’s mana reserves and focus remained temporarily reduced to the level of a Rank One mage, the true strength of a Rank Three Grand Mage should never be underestimated.

The flaming arrows streaked through the air, catching the gray monster completely off guard.

Sein had already discerned that, while the creature possessed strength on par with a Rank One being, it was no true Rank One opponent.

With poor defenses and dull combat instincts, the monster relied mostly on raw strength and sudden bursts of speed.

The flaming arrows grazed the monster’s cheeks and arms, leaving long cuts.

A corrosive hiss filled the air as pyro and necromantic energies clashed, causing thick, grayish slime to ooze from its wounds.

Moments later, four mini fireballs were unleashed from Sein’s fingertip.

Though small in size and lacking explosive force, the arrows possessed exceptional piercing power.

Each one punched a bloody hole through the monster’s chest before vanishing at Sein’s command.

Spared by his precise control, the dilapidated wooden cabin remained untouched by the flames.

Grievously wounded, the creature let out a ragged whimper and growled.

Even before it could touch Sein, it had been struck multiple times. This was a completely one-sided battle!

Yet, due either to mindless ferocity or limited intelligence, it refused to flee. Despite the evident gulf in strength, the gray monster charged forward.

By the time its claws slashed through the air, Sein’s right hand was already raised, pressed firmly against the monster’s chest.

Before it could make its next move, crimson flames surged from Sein’s outstretched arm and engulfed the monster’s body.

With a deafening boom, the creature was instantly set ablaze.

Yet incredibly, the intense flames and commotion failed to awaken the girl curled up at Sein’s side.

This seamless display of skill spoke volumes about the centuries of magical mastery Sein had cultivated.