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Griffin Scans
Translator – Hero of death
Proofreader – Sleepyhead
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Chapter 7 - The Offerings
The spider creature clearly had no interest in the man’s screams. Its maw—a mass of hooked mandibles—gaped wide, spewing a dense web of white silk that cocooned the victim in an instant, wrapping him into a huge chrysalis.
Like an insect stored for later, he would be dissolved by the toxins woven into the silk and then slowly consumed by the brood.
“Help! Why isn’t the army here yet?”
“Where are the Special Division people? I don’t want to die!”
“Don’t take my child—please…!”
Down on the streets, crowds fled in panic, but the spider monsters were fast—far too fast. They closed the distance effortlessly.
Razor-sharp mouthparts jabbed into their prey, injecting venom; within seconds the victims’ struggles weakened, their eyelids drooping as though drifting into an endless sleep.
One after another, they were carried up to the aerial webs and wrapped into cocoons, creating a dreadful tableau.
Dozens of white pods clung to the silky bridges between towers. Some still writhed, the people inside fighting in vain to tear through the threads.
Viewed from afar, the scene resembled a macabre series of panels by a horror artist—eerie, chilling, utterly nightmarish.
Only now did Lu Yu truly grasp how helpless humans were, reduced to livestock by these monsters, butchered at will.
The brutal side of this world unfolded before him in full, reminding him that this was no game—people really died here.
The city’s supposed to have defense systems… so why hasn’t anything kicked in, despite all this destruction? he wondered.
Humanity’s survival in this world depended on powerful defensive grids built inside each city, keeping external horrors at bay; without them, humans could never have thrived.
Yet tonight those systems seemed crippled—half-paralyzed by some unknown cause.
Anger flared in Lu Yu’s chest as he watched the spider monsters harvest more victims.
His eyes shifted to the apartment where he had earlier glimpsed the cult ritual: the sinister glow inside was now brighter than ever.
Violet light writhed like a fiend from the abyss, claws outstretched.
Each new human wrapped into silk made that glow pulse stronger, the aura of evil thickening by the second.
Is this part of the ritual too? Lu Yu realized the spiders weren’t feeding immediately—they were offering up these lives to the Spider God dwelling in the Dreamlands, begging for its favor.
If this continued unchecked, the thing that emerged next might well be an evil god’s high-tier servant, perhaps even…
…a divided embodiment of the god itself.
The true bodies of those deities could not appear here because this world repell them.
Only by sacrificing an entire city at once could cultists hope to draw a fragment of the god’s attention.
And right now, that was exactly what seemed to be happening.
Although these spiders continued their ritual, it was very likely that their actions would attract high-level monsters. If that happened, the entire city could be destroyed.
So Lu Yu had to act.
However, he was not some hot-headed guy. The reason he dared to take action was because he had confidence in himself.
"Fear Balloon, come down here!"
Lu Yu called softly. The yellow balloon floating motionless near the ceiling suddenly became excited. The grotesque human face on it showed a flattering expression as it quickly floated downward.
Lu Yu glanced at the ribbon behind the Fear Balloon and quickly shouted,
"Wait!"
But it was already too late. The Fear Balloon had clearly forgotten that its dangling ribbon had been tied to the chandelier earlier to keep it from moving. Its sudden motion pulled the chandelier down with it.
Bang!
The heavy chandelier crashed down along with a few stones, and its weight dragged the Fear Balloon to the ground.
"Miiiii!"
Fear Balloon screamed in panic as it hit the floor, looking completely confused about what had just happened.
"This silly creature..."
Lu Yu rolled his eyes, beginning to doubt the monster he had created. Was this really a two-star monster?
Could it be a husky in disguise?
Of course, Lu Yu was just imagining things. After all, that spider monster wasn't even a one-star. So what kind of power could a two-star Fear Balloon have?
His Hellfire Whip came from the Fear Balloon. If the Fear Balloon cast it directly, what would happen?
Lu Yu untied the ribbon from the chandelier. The balloon slowly floated up again, clearly calmer now. It started circling around Lu Yu in the air like an affectionate puppy trying to please its owner.
Lu Yu’s mouth twitched slightly, but his face remained calm. He looked at the Fear Balloon and said,
"Xiao Qi, you’re a two-star monster. Try to act with some dignity and class."
Xiao Qi was the name Lu Yu had given it, based on the homophone of "balloon" in Chinese, which sounds like "Qi."
The grotesque face of Xiao Qi showed a confused expression, as if it did not understand Lu Yu’s words. But that did not stop it from expressing its excitement.
Everything the master said was correct.
Lu Yu looked at the excited balloon and smiled slightly. Then he went into his room and pulled out a faceless mask he had bought long ago.
He put the mask on. Looking at the cold, emotionless face in the mirror, Lu Yu said quietly,
"I don’t care what kind of evil god you are. This is human territory. You’d better go back where you came from."
He grabbed the yellow ribbon hanging from the now silent Fear Balloon and said as he walked,
"Xiao Qi, time to go fight monsters and farm materials."
~~~~~~~~~~Chapter End~~~~~~~~~~~~