Chapter 568 - 223: The Real True World (4)

The black-robed figure studied Wei’en menacingly. "You... are bizarre."

"So strong..."

Wei’en paid them no mind. Although he could tell from the shadows’ conversation that they were also Wizards, now was clearly not the time to dwell on it.

At that moment, a strange burning sensation pulsed from his wounds, and the intense pain that followed caused a fine sheen of sweat to break out on his forehead.

The Grave Digger before him didn’t have the same oppressive presence as the Great Demon Commander, but his abilities were exceptionally bizarre. There was some kind of Extraordinary property constantly present in the surrounding space, preventing his attacks from touching the shadowy figures.

’Tsk, this is infuriating!’

’Looks like I have no choice but to rely on the power of a Forbidden Item...’

With this in mind, Wei’en took out "Forbidden Item 2-77, Karel’s Whisper," and raised it to his lips. A cataclysmic scene reflected in his crimson eyes as he hoped it would be useful.

"Oh? A cursed artifact?" The Grave Digger waved his arm, signaling the now-solid-looking shadows to make their move. "Is this your trump card?"

"A Forbidden Item from the Illusion World?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. A pity they’re all fake."

"Hahaha..."

The four shadowy figures watched Wei’en, who they had surrounded, as if observing a caged lab rat.

HMMMMMMMM...

[You have come into contact with "Forbidden Item 2-77, Karel’s Whisper." Your path of destiny has been altered. Current Encounter Progress: 51/100. Evaluation: Forbidden Items aren’t a panacea, but you absolutely can’t do without them! Special Reward: Survival Points +10, Origin +1.]

Wei’en ignored the message on the panel, ignored the shadows around him, and without a moment’s hesitation, played the Harmonica in his hands.

As he played, the beautiful melody of the instrument overwhelmed all other sounds, echoing across the sea at the heart of the Storm.

Not only that, but a low whisper from the void grew steadily clearer, seeming to mesmerize every creature in the vicinity, causing them to cease all movement.

Whether it was the Grave Digger carrying his several tombstones, the so-called servants of the True Master he had summoned from an unknown space, or the colossal waves, the raging tornadoes, and the crazed Deep Sea abominations...

Everything fell silent. Utterly silent!

’Damned maggot!’

The Grave Digger stared at Wei’en, his face impassive, as he inwardly prayed for the True Master to grant him strength.

He could clearly feel the power granted to him by the True Master being suppressed by the melody—by ten percent, then twenty percent, until finally, only about half of it remained.

While this level of power wasn’t enough to make him panic, it did cause him to lose confidence in his ability to kill the strange Wizard before him.

At this point in the battle, the Grave Digger had to admit that Wei’en’s performance had far exceeded his imagination.

’A Great Mage of the phantoms?’

Even a peak Great Mage on the verge of becoming a legend wasn’t as troublesome to deal with as Wei’en.

Especially that Magic he used—not only was it powerful, but it also possessed special Extraordinary Abilities... It completely defied his understanding of a Wizard...

At this moment, the four humanoid creatures he had summoned were also affected by the Harmonica. Their once-solid bodies were showing varying degrees of translucency.

"Hm? My Spiritual Power has dropped by twenty percent," the figure in the black robe said.

The red-robed figure’s tone was even more exasperated. "Damn it, I can’t reactivate my innate ability!"

"My arm is paralyzed. Is he using some kind of anomalous object?" The Werewolf’s arm hung limp, looking even more translucent than the rest of its body.

"So this is a Forbidden Item from the Illusion World? Compared to..."

Wei’en was oblivious to all of this. Just like last time, after starting to play Karel’s Whisper, his entire consciousness was immersed in the performance.

Though he considered himself musically inept, the melody seemed to be imprinted on his mind; the movements of his mouth and the rhythm of his breathing were all in uncanny sync.

And as the piece neared its conclusion, his body began to change.

His entire body swelled, his arms grew as thick as thighs, and the muscles on his back protruded as if forming a dorsal fin. His eyes turned completely crimson...

But the biggest change was to his mouth—the flesh and skin vanished, leaving only exposed bone covered in backward-pointing spines. His jagged teeth were as sharp as a beast’s, and their roots connected not to bone, but to a tentacle emerging from his throat.

[You have used "Forbidden Item 2-77, Karel’s Whisper." Your path of destiny has been altered. Current Encounter Progress: 55/100. Evaluation: Do you have fine wine? If not, please do not use this item. Special Reward: Survival Points +20, Origin +2, Spirit Level +2, Resilience Level +2.]

[You have gained a buff: Your base attributes are increased by fifty percent, your Spirit level is increased by twenty percent, your arms have been enhanced, you have gained the ability to swim in the Deep Sea, you have gained night vision, you have gained the ability to devour abominations to increase your Origin...]

"How ugly," the Werewolf’s shadow remarked, looking at Wei’en’s new form and grinning widely.

"Let’s focus on how to handle the rest of this fight..."

"Agostinho, be ready. I can sense his power now. It’s stronger than I could have imagined!" the red-robed shadow warned coolly.

"I know."

The Grave Digger’s expression grew solemn. He had already guessed the Forbidden Item’s ability: a curse that weakened his side while strengthening the user...

’I have no idea where this maggot managed to obtain such a Forbidden Item.’

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Look behind you." The twisted Mechanical Transformer pointed at the subtly changing Water Elemental Spirits. "I... I can actually see muscles growing on them..."

"A disgrace to the elements! A disgrace to Wizards!" The black-robed shadow sensed the surging power within the Water Elemental Spirits and cursed angrily, "To infuse Water Elementals with power... Is he trying to make them fight in close quarters like barbarians?"

"Hahaha... I’m sorry. I know the mood is tense, but you’ll have to forgive me. This is just too hilarious." The Werewolf shadow grinned and burst out laughing.

"..."

Seeing the shadows start chatting as if they’d reverted to their usual selves, the Grave Digger helplessly knocked the tombstones in his hand together. A strange gray ash spread out from the impact.

"Oh? Time to get to work... Sooner or later, I’m going to wipe out you and your Dusk Sect..."

"This is all your fault, you dumbass Werewolf!"

"..."

The pupils of the four shadows suddenly turned a deep, profound black, and their laughter and voices died away.

[You have used "Forbidden Item 2-77, Karel’s Whisper" for two seconds. Your Resilience Level has been permanently reduced by four points...]

Wei’en opened his eyes. The bone structure below his nose split open, and the fang-covered tentacle slowly extended until it was level with his eyes.

"Are you ready... to face reality?"