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Griffin Scans
Translator – Hero of death
Proofreader – Sleepyhead
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Chapter 3 - Fear Balloon
Lu Yu stood within the gray space, like a divine demon god born out of chaos, slowly forging the boundary between life and death.
With a casual wave of his hand, the brilliant soul, sparkling like a sapphire, dispersed into countless points of light and gradually merged with the flames of hell!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
As if adding fuel to a blazing bonfire, the flames roared higher, the terrifying heat spreading outward, seemingly capable of incinerating everything!
But just as the hellfire was about to spread, it was restrained by a mysterious force, confined within the small space—no matter how it raged, it could not escape the shackles.
Lu Yu's expression remained indifferent. The yellow burial cloth, guided by his thoughts, billowed in the air, spiraling and slowly wrapping around the flames.
The yellow burial cloth gradually formed into a sphere. Through the fabric, the black flames could be seen burning fiercely inside. As the flames came into contact with the cloth, a strange transformation began.
"Ssssss..."
Accompanied by a soft hiss, the shrouded ball began to change. A yellow ribbon unfurled from it, and dark red blood began to seep through the fabric!
With the appearance of this blood, a sense of ominous dread filled the air, as if a terrifying creature was being born—one that could devour all life!
"So this is the blood of that unknown being... such life-devouring power is quite interesting. Too bad that while editing a monster, I am invincible."
Lu Yu spoke softly as he watched the changes, extending his finger to gently trace across the fabric—as if painting.
But what he was painting… was a monster that would terrify the world!
The dark red blood became paint, shifting with Lu Yu's finger until it settled into the shape of a grotesque, crimson smiling face.
The yellow sphere floated in the air, and with that eerie smile, it looked like a Halloween balloon drawn by a twisted artist.
At the moment Lu Yu stopped, a dark red halo emerged around the balloon, orbiting it like a ring of stars.
And then—the monster's data appeared in Lu Yu’s mind:
[Fear Balloon — 2-Star Grade]
Abilities:
Intimidation - Innate soul-based fear. All who meet its gaze are subject to a mental shock. Failure results in endless terror. Even successful resistance weakens the target.
Life-Draining Aura - Absorbs life force from nearby beings to heal itself. With sufficient energy, it can evolve.
Whip of Hellfire - Summons a whip made of hellfire that lashes at enemies, inflicting corrosive and dark elemental damage.
Rating: Excellent
(Tiers: Common, Good, Excellent, Perfect, Supreme)
<Ding!>
<First monster edit has reached “Excellent” tier. Achievement unlocked.
Reward: +1 Skill Solidification Token.
Gain: 1/10th of Fear Balloon’s power. Please select skill(s) to solidify.>
"So there’s even an achievement system!"
A smile appeared on Lu Yu’s face. No one ever complains about having too many skills especially in such a dangerous world. Every skill is one more way to stay alive.
Among the skills, Life-Draining Aura was god-tier—a halo-type ability!
It was easy to activate, could heal by absorbing life energy, and could even help him evolve. Theoretically, if he absorbed enough life force, he could ascend to the top of the food chain in this world.
Of course, that was just theory. In reality, there's a risk of exploding from too much energy. But even so, this skill was an absolute surprise!
As for the second skill...
Lu Yu thought for a moment, then made his choice decisively:
"I choose Life-Draining Aura and Whip of Hellfire!"
This was a carefully considered decision. To blend into the world of Awakened elites, he needed real power to make his entrance.
Intimidation was useful but lacked the means for actual combat or defense.
In this world, power speaks, and the Hellfire Whip gave him that. It also acted as a cover, hiding the true terror of Life-Draining Aura—a perfect trump card.
As soon as he spoke, two bronze-colored beams surged from the Fear Balloon and entered Lu Yu’s body!
An unfamiliar energy fused into the depths of his soul. The two skills now felt as natural as breathing—just a thought, and they would activate.
With the skills solidified, a wave of immense power erupted from within him, his aura rising dramatically!
“Such overwhelming power…”
Lu Yu remained still, eyes closed, but the energy radiating from him shattered a glass cup several meters away!
"If one-tenth of this monster’s strength is already this powerful, then just how strong is the full version? And what tier of Awakened am I now?"
Lu Yu was filled with doubt. While he had previously studied the Awakened system, most of the key information had been erased. He had no idea what stage he was at now—or where the Fear Balloon stood in terms of strength.
But he was sure of one thing—he was no weakling.
Creating a monster of "Excellent" quality granted him one tenth of its power. That was just from a 2-star monster. What if he created something with even higher stars?
He thought of monsters that could devour galaxies or bend time and space… Lu Yu couldn’t help but get excited!
Even if it's just one tenth… pile up enough of them, and even ants can become world-ending dragons!
And those portions came from some of the strongest monsters imaginable!
If “Excellent” gave one tenth… what about “Perfect”? Or Supreme?
One-fifth? One-third? Or maybe… all of it?
If he kept creating monsters above the Excellent tier, he could rapidly strengthen himself using their power—and become one of the world’s top beings!
“It’s practically cheating…”
Lu Yu chuckled to himself. But he didn’t mind being a cheat at all because the feeling was just too good.
As the monster creation concluded, the gray mist dissipated. The Fear Balloon floated to the ceiling, letting out high-pitched, baby-like giggles:
"Mii~!"
It began to flutter around freely, curiously exploring the world it had just been born into.
“Feels like I just raised a hyper-curious kitten…”
Lu Yu muttered helplessly, but he didn’t stop the balloon’s exploration.
After all, aside from the Monster Editing System, this balloon was his strongest trump card.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as Lu Yu was lost in thought, a rhythmic knocking came from behind him as if someone were knocking on a door.
But Lu Yu’s eyes widened in shock, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead. His heart began to beat faster.
Because—
He was on the seventh floor. And behind him… was a glass window.
Who could possibly be knocking?
~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter End~~~~~~~~~~~