Chapter 162: Mutated lave fish

The dark red eye inside the Giant Lava Octopus opened very slowly. Ethan stood in front of the monster’s enormous head, his hand still resting on the scales being affected by Decomposition, while Ruo Yan and Laira had both stopped behind him.

On the surface, the eye was only about the size of a fist, but the pupil inside reflected no light at all. It looked more like a crack forced into the shape of an eye than an organ belonging to a living creature, because the moment Ethan’s Eye of Truth looked into it, all he saw was an endless black-purple darkness stretching into the distance.

"Move back," Ethan said.

Laira immediately stepped forward, but Ruo Yan had already pulled the Undead Mage and Mumu backward. Before anyone could ask anything else, the dark red eye suddenly blinked once before shattering into countless black-purple particles of light. Those particles did not enter Ethan’s storage space like the Lava Materials. Instead, they fell straight into the Lava Sea and disappeared among the slowly subsiding waves.

The Giant Lava Octopus also continued to be decomposed. Its scales, tentacles, and enormous mass of flesh gradually dissolved into materials one after another, but Ethan did not relax at all. He had a feeling that what had just appeared was not a hidden reward, but a sign that the Void had followed some kind of path into this challenge round.

That feeling was quickly proven correct.

The surface of the sea in the distance suddenly rose into a pillar of lava more than twenty meters high. At first, Ethan thought it was another large creature leaping out of the water, but the instant the lava column fell back down, a black-purple shadow tore through the waves and slammed directly onto the floating stone field where they stood.

The stone beneath their feet shook violently, countless fragments scattering in every direction.

The Undead Mage immediately stepped in front of Ruo Yan, while Laira had already grabbed the Boundless Fishing Rod, but when the three of them clearly saw what was crawling out of the lava, they all froze for a moment.

It had originally been a Lava Fish.

At least, the main body still retained the shape of an enormous fish.

Its dark red scales had been pierced through by black-purple crystals. Shards grew densely across its back, belly, and both sides of its gills like countless malformed bones.

Beneath the fish’s body were dozens of legs resembling shrimp legs. Every one of them was sharp, continuously stabbing into the stone to drag its body forward.

Two enormous crab claws grew from both sides of its body.

One had already smashed apart part of the stone the moment it landed, while the other slowly opened, revealing overlapping red-purple blades inside.

What shocked Ruo Yan and Laira the most, however, was the face embedded among the scales near the fish’s head.

The face was deathly pale.

Its eyes were red-purple.

The cheekbones were distorted, as though the face had been violently forced into the monster’s body.

Black-purple veins extended from his neck and fused into the scales, while his dry, cracked lips trembled slightly.

"Ryan?" Ruo Yan said unconsciously.

The face on the fish’s body slowly moved.

The red-purple eyes stared directly at Ethan.

A flash of pain appeared within them, but the emotion lasted less than a second before it was swallowed by hatred and hunger.

The fish’s mouth suddenly opened wide.

Instead of normal fish teeth, dozens of red-black tentacles shot out from inside.

They swept through the air at terrifying speed, carrying a scorched smell and strands of Void Flame that caused the surrounding temperature to drop in an eerie manner.

Ethan pulled Ruo Yan backward.

A tentacle swept through the place where he had just been standing, carving a deep gash straight across the stone.

The Eye of Truth immediately activated, and countless pieces of information about the creature’s structure appeared in his mind.

The Lava Fish was still the main body, but the Void Flame had invaded it so deeply that it had become completely distorted.

Ryan’s consciousness clung to the outer layer like an anchor, while the true core was a black-purple crystal buried deep inside the abdominal cavity.

More importantly, the System no longer regarded it as Ryan.

[Special Target: Mutated Lava Fish.]

[Status: Contaminated by foreign energy.]

[Can be hunted.]

The moment Ethan saw the final line, Laira had already stepped in front of him.

She spun the Boundless Fishing Rod once.

The black rod extended, while the fishing line lit up into a sharp arc.

Interest appeared in her orange-red eyes, but unlike during ordinary fishing, the aura around Laira gradually became serious.

"Ethan, Ruo Yan, both of you step back."

Ruo Yan frowned.

"Ryan is inside it."

"I know," Laira replied. "But it is trying to kill Ethan."

"I can use the Soul Threads to restrain it, then..."

"No need."

Laira interrupted her, her voice not loud but extremely decisive.

"We have trained with Qing Zhu for so long. We have also entered the Abyss Tower and fought through so many floors. The results of that training were not just for show."

She turned her head toward Ethan.

"Let me handle this one myself."

Ethan looked at Ryan’s distorted face on the fish’s body, then at Laira holding the Boundless Fishing Rod.

He knew she did not merely want to fight because she found it interesting.

Laira had changed greatly during this recent period.

In the past, she had always charged straight forward using pure strength, but after fighting Qing Zhu and the monsters inside the Abyss Tower, she had begun learning how to observe, conserve strength, and wait for an opportunity.

The battle before her was exactly the chance to prove that she was no longer someone who relied solely on overwhelming strength to crush her opponents.

"All right."

Ethan nodded.

"But if something unexpected happens, I will intervene."

Laira smiled.

"We can talk about that when it happens."

The Mutated Lava Fish seemed to understand what they were saying, or perhaps Ryan’s consciousness inside had heard them.

His face immediately twisted, the red-purple eyes widening.

Both enormous crab claws slammed into the stone at the same time, while the dozens of shrimp-like legs beneath the fish exploded with power, causing the entire monster to charge toward Ethan at terrifying speed.

The tentacles inside its mouth tore through the air.

This time, they no longer targeted only one person, but covered the entire space ahead.

Laira did not retreat.

She swung the Boundless Fishing Rod.

The fishing line immediately extended and wrapped around one of the incoming crab claws.

The monster pulled hard, trying to rip the weapon directly from her hands, but Laira used that force to spin her body.

The fishing rod bent into an arc.

The Lava Fish lost its balance for an instant before being pulled sideways.

The other crab claw swept toward her at extreme speed, carrying black-purple energy as it smashed directly into Laira’s shoulder.

Boom!

The stone beneath her feet shattered.

Ruo Yan clenched her hand.

Soul Threads had almost already appeared at her fingertips, but Laira was only pushed back several meters before quickly regaining her footing.

A layer of pale golden light had appeared over her body just before the claw struck.

Mumu, standing behind Ethan, had raised both short arms.

The halo above its head spun so quickly that it almost became a brilliant golden ring.

[Mumu has activated Endless Blessing.]

[Buff acquired: Invulnerability.]

[While active, the target is immune to damage and negative effects.]

Laira looked at the cracks beneath her feet, then lowered her head and looked at the shoulder of her clothes, which had not been damaged at all.

She blinked twice before turning toward Mumu, looking somewhat surprised.

"This buff is a little strong."

"Mumu!"

Mumu happily bounced up and down.

The Mutated Lava Fish did not understand what had just happened.

It only saw that its attack had struck the target, yet Laira was almost completely unaffected.

Even Ryan’s face on the fish’s body showed a brief expression of confusion.

At that exact moment, Laira suddenly pulled hard on the Boundless Fishing Rod.

The fishing line tightened around the monster’s left claw, while she used all her strength to pull backward.

A Mutated Lava Fish more than ten meters long, with two crab claws, dozens of shrimp legs, and Void Flame throughout its body, was actually dragged stumbling forward by Laira.

She pulled it several more steps, then tilted her head and asked Ethan:

"This still counts as fishing, right?"

Ethan stared at the scene for two seconds before replying:

"The System says it can be hunted."

"That is enough."

Laira pulled again.

The Mutated Lava Fish was dragged closer.

Its enormous mouth immediately opened.

This time, more than ten tentacles simultaneously wrapped around Laira, lifted her into the air, then slammed her hard into the Lava Sea.

Ruo Yan took a deep breath, but when the lava exploded upward, Laira simply walked out of the sea of fire as though nothing had happened.

Mumu’s golden light still covered her body.

The scorching lava merely slid down her silver hair and the armor on her shoulders without leaving a single wound.

Laira brushed away a patch of lava clinging to her hair, then looked at the tentacles trembling after failing to accomplish anything.

"Why did you throw me down there?"

She asked very seriously.

"I am standing beside a lava sea."

Mumu did not understand everything she said, but it was still extremely happy and let out another loud cry.

Ruo Yan, standing behind them, finally had to turn her face away to hide the smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

Even Ethan felt that the scene was somewhat bizarre.

A monster corrupted by the Void, grotesque enough to make an ordinary person lose their composure, was currently being scolded by Laira for throwing her into something she was not afraid of in the first place.

But Invulnerability would not last forever.

Ethan saw the golden light around Laira beginning to thin and immediately spoke.

"Laira, do not drag this out."

"I know."

Her gaze became serious.

The Mutated Lava Fish also realized that the protection around Laira was weakening.

Ryan’s face released a hoarse roar.

Both sides of the fish’s body split open at the same time.

The black-purple crystals growing through its scales began glowing, while Void Flame poured out of them and rapidly merged into an enormous stream of fire.

Dozens of shrimp legs slammed against the stone, launching the monster into the air, while the two crab claws opened wide to either side as though they wanted to clamp down on the entire area where Ethan stood.

Laira did not run toward Ethan.

She charged straight upward.

The Boundless Fishing Rod in her hands extended to more than twenty meters.

When Laira poured energy into it, the tip of the rod trembled slightly, and a sharp white light immediately covered its length.

This was the same power Ethan had accidentally activated when testing the fishing rod.

A single casual swing had been enough to cut a trench more than a hundred meters long across the surface of the Lava Sea.

Laira jumped onto a stone drifting through the air, used it to pivot her body, then swung the rod.

The white light cut across the blazing red sky.

The Mutated Lava Fish’s right crab claw was knocked aside.

Laira did not stop.

Her foot stepped onto the rod as she used the fishing line to wrap tightly around the fish’s neck, then pulled down with force.

The monster had only just risen into the air before it was forced back toward the Lava Sea, but before its body could touch the surface, Laira had already appeared above its head.

She gripped the rod tightly with both hands and struck downward with all her strength.

The blow did not target the scales on the outside.

It aimed directly at Ryan’s face among the black-purple crystals.

"Give Ryan back."

BOOM!

The crystal layer covering the fish’s head immediately cracked.

Ryan’s face released a miserable scream.

His red-purple eyes widened, while the Void Flame inside the monster erupted chaotically.

Some of the tentacles spasmed before falling into the sea of fire, while the rest lashed wildly toward Laira.

Mumu raised both hands again.

Golden light descended over her once more, but this time it was not Invulnerability.

It was a brief enhancement to her strength.

Laira did not dodge.

She pulled the fishing line tight, locked down the fish’s head, then used the monster’s own struggling force to spin its entire body in a circle.

The two crab claws smashed into each other.

Dozens of shrimp legs shattered from the impact.

The black-purple crystals across its back also cracked continuously.

Once the Mutated Lava Fish completely lost its balance, Laira swung the Boundless Fishing Rod one final time.

The white light pierced through the crystal layer around its abdominal cavity.

The black-purple core buried deep inside instantly shattered.

The enormous fish’s body stiffened in midair before falling onto the floating stone field with a heavy impact.

The surviving tentacles trembled several times before losing all strength.

The two crab claws also gradually dissolved into black-purple particles of light.

Laira landed not far away.

Her breathing was slightly rapid, but there was not a single wound on her body.

She held the Boundless Fishing Rod upright beside her, looked at the monster that had stopped struggling, then turned toward Ethan.

"Done."

But the moment she finished speaking, Ryan’s face on the Mutated Lava Fish suddenly began twitching violently.

Black-purple cracks spread from the shattered core up toward his face.

Ryan’s eyes widened.

For the first time, genuine fear appeared within them.

He wanted to say something.

Perhaps he wanted to call Ethan’s name.

Perhaps he wanted to curse or beg for help.

But the Void Flame gave him no more time.

The face slowly separated from the fish’s scales like a piece of skin being peeled away, then shattered into a stream of black-purple smoke.

Behind the monster’s corpse, a thin spatial tear had opened at some unknown point.

The black-purple smoke shot directly into the crack and disappeared before Ethan could even raise his hand.