Chapter 291: Xiali Mir Orchestra (2)

Chapter 291: Chapter 192: Xiali Mir Orchestra (2)

His nose suddenly swelled, rapidly enlarging like a heavy, blood-filled tumor and drooping toward the ground.

His face twisted in agony.

But Li Miao had no time to interrupt.

A horde of minions resembling Frenzied Living Corpses stood before him—the former audience members from below the stage.

His long experience in battle told him to clear the minions first. Otherwise, the boss fight would be hell.

And as it turned out, he was right.

The Curved Horn Trumpeter’s transformation was incredibly fast.

Just as the tumor-like nose was about to drag along the ground, it suddenly twisted and extended.

Right before Li Miao’s eyes, it solidified into the shape of a Long Curved Horn—the very instrument the Curved Horn Trumpeter had been using.

The Curved Horn Trumpeter lost all its former elegance. With hair disheveled, it became utterly berserk, like a Mad Demon.

It had now transformed into [Furious Long Curved Horn·Hausen], its Level reaching thirty-seven.

“WUUUUU—”

A dull, terrifying, and heart-shaking sound erupted from the Long-nosed Horn.

With a furious roar, the Seeker lunged forward.

Li Miao was right behind it.

…

Despite his opponent’s formidable strength, victory was finally his, thanks to Li Miao’s relentless efforts and the Seeker’s support.

“Do not disturb… Xiali Milir’s… performance…”

On the verge of death, the Furious Long Curved Horn seemed to regain a sliver of clarity as it uttered its last, resentful words.

[You have slain Furious Long Curved Horn·Hausen]

[Acquired: Wax Oil ×65]

[Acquired: Battle Ash: Frenzy Chapter]

[Acquired: ]

“Xiali Milir…”

Li Miao was puzzled. ‘It’s obviously a name, but whose?’

He lowered his Weapon, sat cross-legged on the ground, and took out a Recovery Wax Block.

This Furious Long Curved Horn was basically a “tanky” and “tough” boss. It used its giant nose like a Shield, a surprisingly effective one that gave Li Miao a world of trouble.

But even though he died twice, the Seeker managed to hold the line, allowing Li Miao to successfully wear the boss down.

Soon, fully recovered, Li Miao stood up and looked toward the Seeker.

Li Miao’s guess had been correct.

After he killed the Furious Long Curved Horn, the Seeker had eagerly thrown itself onto the corpse and begun to absorb its Power.

The creature’s horrifyingly long nose slowly receded.

And on the Seeker’s face, above its mouth, the outline of a nose began to form.

The now-nosed Seeker quickly turned to Li Miao. Then, without a word, it let out another shriek that sent him away.

“More…”

“Continue… killing…”

The Seeker’s ethereal voice was blunt, making it clear that more killing was required.

Li Miao wasn’t surprised. He decided to press forward without losing momentum.

He had to admit, the Mysterious High Platform was a very unique dungeon in his opinion.

Most of the time, the place was quiet—or rather, dead silent, which put him inexplicably on edge.

But the blood-red world it revealed through the Seeker was chaotic, terrifying, and packed with an incredible density of monsters.

For players who hated traversing maps and just wanted to get into a good, solid fight, this was practically a godsend.

…

Time flowed on.

Without annoying minions or bizarre, frustrating traps, Li Miao made rapid progress.

He soon defeated the other two side-path bosses.

One used human skin for a drum, the other used an ear as a violin. The sight alone was enough to make one’s skin crawl and send shivers down their spine.

And the strength of these bosses kept increasing.

Of course, that didn’t include their “gimme” state outside the blood-red world; Li Miao could easily defeat them then, even without the Seeker’s help.

After defeating these two bosses, the first notable thing he found was a schedule.

Most of it was useless, but it did reveal the names of several key members of the orchestra. The singer, “Xiali Milir,” was especially prominent.

He was undoubtedly the so-called exiled singer, the heart and soul of the orchestra, and the master of the Mysterious High Platform.

And a sentence he’d left on this schedule was thought-provoking.

“Until I come out, don’t let anyone near the concert hall…”

The second was a greeting card, which he’d found near the ear-violin monster.

Apparently, the monster’s birthday had been just before the disaster struck.

The card was filled with sincere congratulations and playful jabs from the other orchestra members.

[…May your violin skills improve as fast as your age increases. Of course, I know that’s just wishful thinking.]

[Anyway, the new violin has been delivered. Remember to save a slice of cake for me, don’t forget! You’d better keep an eye on that glutton, Hausen.]

[—Xiali Milir]

It wasn’t hard to see that the members of the Xiali Mir Orchestra were all on very good terms.

‘They don’t seem like bitter, cynical people filled with deep-seated hatred… How did they get mixed up with something like Madness?’

Li Miao couldn’t help but wonder.

Finally, having absorbed Power from the corpses, the Seeker had begun to take on a humanoid form.

Though still shrouded in a blood-red haze, it was worth noting that after acquiring the “ears,” it suddenly spoke a series of profound words.

“Finally…”

“…I’m about to… regain my sanity…”

“I am… am… Wudu…”

As it muttered to itself, the name above its head changed from [Unknown Seeker] to [Wudu].

Li Miao was naturally surprised that it had suddenly spoken.

But when it remained unresponsive to his questions, he had no choice but to give up trying to communicate.

“Quickly…”

“Quickly…”

A hint of urgency crept into Wudu’s ethereal voice, as if it was desperate to reclaim its so-called sanity.

Meanwhile, Li Miao had arrived before the tallest building on the Mysterious High Platform.

It was a concert hall. While not exactly magnificent, a peek through the crack in the door revealed a spacious interior, with furnishings that exuded a strong artistic air and aesthetic.

After lighting the Milestone Spirit Candle by the entrance, Li Miao glanced at the message in a nearby brazier.

[The performance has not yet begun. Please wait patiently.]

The door was closed, but Li Miao had already tried it and found that it could be pushed open.

Li Miao nearly teared up. ‘Finally, not another [Cannot be opened from this side].’

He swore this was the most player-friendly dungeon he had ever encountered.

CREAK…

He slowly pushed the great doors open.

His eyes fell upon a sea of empty seats.

On the central stage, illuminated by the lights, stood a tall, slender figure in a formal suit. His back was to the doors, and from his posture, he appeared to be speaking to someone.

However, his back completely obscured the other person from Li Miao’s view.

“Kill him…”

“Kill him!”

Wudu’s voice grew more urgent, its tone shifting from a plea to a harsh command.

The air began to twist and distort around him.

It seemed the blood-red world was about to manifest once more.

But just then, a gentle male voice drifted from the center of the stage.

“Black-crowned leaves… white-fruited flowers…”

“Blue-gauze grass… star-bright beetles…”

“The little fish of Valley River jump over the Moon…”

“The child ‘neath the tree circles ’round the sun…”

The gentle song seemed to carry a tranquil Magic Power, one that suppressed the blood-red haze and smoothed out the distortions in the air.

‘It sounds… like a nursery rhyme?’

Li Miao didn’t attack right away. He savored the moment; the sense of peace and gentleness almost made him forget he was playing a combat game.

“AARGH… AAGH!!!”

Wudu’s agonized cry snapped Li Miao back to reality.

Its voice grew fainter and fainter until it vanished completely.

After another wave of blood-red distortion, Wudu was gone.

‘Huh?’

Li Miao was stunned.

‘What happened to Wudu? Did the person on stage just sing it into insanity with a nursery rhyme?’

‘The song doesn’t seem to have any special Power attached to it…’

Li Miao saw no system prompts indicating he was affected, and his mind was perfectly clear about what had just happened.

So, the idea of his mind being ensnared by the song was out of the question. He had simply been distracted because it sounded nice.

The person on stage was still singing.

But then, Li Miao glimpsed a red Shadow he hadn’t seen before. It seemed to have appeared in response to Wudu’s frantic screams.

This, too, was a tall, elegant figure. With one hand behind its back, it stood silently, watching the person on stage.

‘It looks… strangely similar to the person on stage?’

Li Miao approached cautiously.

The blood-red Shadow seemed to sense him, speaking without turning its head.

“Kill the muddled one, and the final performance shall begin. The sorrowful Soul will at last find peace…”