Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 67: A Close Shave

In the aftermath of the battle, Akira Akashi, who had maintained the lowest profile, finally spoke up. "So, I'll just follow Tina closely, running forward with her. After all, the Formless Offspring didn't attack me."

After hearing everyone's accounts, KP Cao concluded, "Alright, this battle round is over. The result is that all three attacks by the Formless Offspring missed their mark, and you have narrowly escaped their interception. You're now out of the Formless Offspring's attack range. Next, we'll move to the combat visuals of this round."

As KP Cao's voice faded, Liu Xing felt time returning to its normal flow. A long tentacle lunged towards him, seemingly aiming to entangle his legs and immobilize him, targeting his lower body.

Meanwhile, the tentacle targeting Tina and Nan Xiaoniao swooped down from above towards Tina, or rather, aimed straight at Nan Xiaoniao.

The situation seemed more perilous for Tian Dao, as three tentacles simultaneously charged at him. Had Liu Xing not known that the Formless Offspring's attacks would be a grand failure, he might have genuinely feared for Tian Dao's safety.

Liu Xing then realized he had a 360-degree unobstructed view, and it wasn't the third-person perspective from the previous Castle Lord's scenario conclusion. This was a first-person view with adjustable zoom, highlighting the significant difference between the combat and conclusion visuals.

Despite losing control over his body, Liu Xing could still feel his movements, as if he were performing them himself, devoid of the numbing sense of helplessness typical of such loss of control. This sensation was surprisingly tolerable, as nobody enjoys feeling like a puppet.

Just as the tentacle was about to bind his legs, Liu Xing felt a lightness in his body and leapt nearly two meters high, effortlessly dodging the Formless Offspring's strike and landing smoothly, continuing his run towards the Crane Temple.

For Tina, though she seemed to be recklessly running forward while clutching Nan Xiaoniao, she deftly dodged the tentacle spiraling towards Nan Xiaoniao's head – a mere ten centimeters away. Tina's swift maneuver, akin to evading a mythical creature, left the Formless Offspring dumbfounded. The tentacle, maintaining its momentum, plunged half a meter into the staircase, indicating the grave outcome had it ensnared Nan Xiaoniao's head: either Tina would let go, resulting in the Formless Offspring abducting Nan Xiaoniao, or she would hold on, leading to Nan Xiaoniao's decapitation and solidifying Tina's title.

At Tian Dao's location, just as KP Cao had described, the Formless Offspring's previous attack failures led to its evident agitation. The three tentacles, hastening their pace, collided in a comical mishap at the very moment they were about to strike Tian Dao. This entanglement, resembling a braided rope, was a ludicrous spectacle one might only expect in slapstick animations.

Akira Akashi, whose presence was incredibly subtle, encountered no obstacles and silently continued to run forward.

As Akira Akashi, running at the back, also moved out of the attack range of the Formless Offspring, Liu Xing realized he had regained control of his body.

"Keep running, let's head straight to the temple!" Liu Xing said, turning to Tina and the others.

After all, they were just one step away from completing their mission. All they needed to do was place the grape from Nan Xiaoniao's small bag on the altar, and then Liu Xing and his companions could leave the mirror world through the mysterious mirror.

Tina and the others understood this as well, so without further words, they continued running silently. Soon, Liu Xing and his party finally made it back inside the temple, where Li Ming had been anxiously waiting.

As for the Formless Offspring, it had given up on pursuing them, standing still and silently watching the fading figures of Liu Xing and his companions. The creature realized it could no longer catch up.

Perhaps, years later, the Formless Offspring would reminisce about this day, seeing the retreating figures of Liu Xing and his group as a symbol of its lost youth... No, more like a cooked duck that had flown away.

"How are you? Did you find the grape? Were you hurt?" Li Ming, who had been waiting inside the temple, immediately approached with concern upon seeing Liu Xing's group enter.

Li Ming, having stayed inside the temple the whole time and only hearing the constant dice rolls outside, was unaware of the exact situation. He had thought several times about checking outside the temple but was too afraid of encountering the Formless Offspring, so he remained inside.

Tina took out the intact grape from Nan Xiaoniao's small bag, "Yes, everything went smoothly. Although we only found one grape, its symbolic value is significant. It should be fine as an offering. Fortunately, that monster seemed a bit foolish; it failed to harm us in all three attacks, so our return was ultimately uneventful."

As Tina explained to Li Ming, she placed the grape on the altar.

"Congratulations, players, you have gathered all the offerings needed to return to the real world. The passage to leave the mirror world and return to the real world is now open. You may pass through the mirror to return. However, I must say, your exploration of the mirror world is only about thirty percent complete. There are many more things to discover, even a Dragon-slaying Sword, just a click away! Would you like to use the remaining half-hour to continue exploring?" KP Cao, like a cunning merchant, kept enticing Liu Xing and the others to explore more of the mirror world, even resorting to the ludicrous claim of offering a Dragon-slaying Sword.

However, everyone knew that risk and reward coexisted. Even if there really was a Dragon-slaying Sword in the mirror world, it would undoubtedly be guarded by a powerful mythical creature.