My front door leads to a comic strip

Time passed by, second by second.

Gu Yuan's ability to speak Chinese did not hinder his communication with the sacred text.

He had assumed that the questions asked in this sacred text would be rather tricky.

Things like personal privacy.

did not expect…

"You and five others are trapped in a cave with no food. You must eat one person to survive. What do you choose...?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the relevant images appeared before my eyes, as if I were there.

Gu Yuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "As expected of an existence related to gods, the first question is so straightforward."

If he remembers correctly, this should be a classic moral dilemma.

Did he see through his own identity, and is it different for each person? Or...? He glanced at the blizzard outside the "cave" and exhaled.

In any case, the fact that no one took action is a good thing.

He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before answering:

"I choose..."

……

At the city gate.

Hal's eyelids twitched, his Adam's apple bobbed, and unease washed over him like a tidal wave.

He recalled the monster's strange ability to manipulate shadows, and a sense of foreboding welled up inside him.

Without a second thought, he opened the holy book and, with trembling fingers, used magic to verify his judgment.

He knew he might be overthinking things, but what if he was?

Monsters that become human cannot be judged by common sense.

Perhaps my escape was also...

Before this terrifying thought could fully form in his mind, the unexpected event occurred.

The shadow on the ground suddenly surged, and a viscous tentacle burst forth, violently slapping the holy book away!

Hal's heart nearly stopped beating.

"Damn it!"

The worst fears came true; the monster had been lurking in his shadow all along.

But why...

Without even considering when the monster had hidden itself in the shadows, he immediately turned around and roared at the soldiers:

"Run!"

The soldiers did not possess any superhuman strength.

Faced with this bizarre, living creature transformed from a shadow, it was no match for them if it showed even the slightest sign of hostility.

Hal knew this, so he rushed desperately toward the outside of the city.

Unfortunately, it was too late the moment he got close to Mundo.

The moment he turned around, the shadow detached from Hal's body, as if torn apart, and gradually transformed into a three-dimensional creature.

A gust of wind blew by, and its body began to twist and deform, as if adapting to this new form.

But it quickly returned to its normal physical form.

After it stopped, it stomped its foot hard.

With a "crack," the sturdy bluestone slab instantly cracked under its feet.

This scene was captured by the surrounding soldiers, and a collective gasp filled the deathly silence.

Some people stared wide-eyed, backed away repeatedly, and finally stumbled and fell to the ground.

"What...is this?!"

……

Thousands of meters above the ground, Sutton hovered there, the howling wind making his black robe flutter.

The clouds drifted beneath his feet; he stroked his chin with one hand, his expression calm.

"Hmm...we've been discovered? That makes sense."

"Hurry up and come out, I can't wait to devour you."

This is one of the shadow magic techniques he possesses.

As time goes by, the shadow will gradually master all of the host's abilities, possess the same physical qualities as the host, and even have its memories copied.

In theory, given enough time, he could even defeat the Demon King.

Unfortunately… Sutton sighed softly, a hint of helplessness and resentment flashing in his eyes:

"Unfortunately, I am too young. In the Demon King's castle where status is determined by magic power, I, at two hundred years old, can only be relegated to the bottom."

"The only way to change all this is to keep hunting, devouring, and evolving."

"Only through evolution can one gain a large amount of magic power. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have risked escaping from there."

Clenching his fist, Sutton knew that change was just around the corner, so he suppressed his resentment and continued to observe the battle below.

The shadow then entered the second stage, successfully replicating Hal's abilities.

The magical shadow suddenly became unrestrained, waving its tentacles and attacking the surrounding crowd wantonly.

Even if the tentacles are cut off by the soldiers and black blood flows out, they can be completely healed in the blink of an eye.

Hal's eyes were bloodshot.

"Let's go, hurry up!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his hoarse voice sounding particularly weak at that moment.

If I had known this would happen, I should have gone all out in that village.

He rode away for three days, but the horse died from exhaustion, and he himself was covered in injuries.

They thought they had seen hope, but it turned out that it was all a conspiracy by the monsters.

How could he accept this?

Hal's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, coughing incessantly.

Seeing this, the soldier leader swung his sword and severed the tentacle. Gritting his teeth, he immediately ran over, helped the man up, and asked loudly:

"Butler, what should we do? Is this a monster?!"

He had never seen a monster before, and he was really frightened this time, but fortunately he had a strong mentality.

Hal, who had been helped up, pressed his hand to his chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

He glanced at the shadow that was gradually fading in color and becoming exactly like himself, and knew in his heart that there was no way to turn back now.

Moreover, these soldiers would never easily retreat in order to protect the people in the city.

So he decisively said, "Tie it up! If you can't kill it!"

He had no idea what would happen once his shadow became like him.

However, just to be on the safe side, we absolutely cannot let this continue to develop.

However, the soldier leader froze on the spot upon hearing this.

He had no time to respond, for he was horrified to see that the shadow behind his companion also began to writhe as if it were alive.

"Gulp..."

He swallowed hard, a wave of despair washing over his chest.

This……

Ruined.

……

Within the church.

Tread-

Millie Alde, who was observing, suddenly turned her eyes.

A series of footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by the clanging of armor.

The priest knocked on the door and informed Hal that he had appeared but was seriously injured.

Seriously injured?

Millie Alde instinctively looked at Gu Yuan on the stage.

He was still engrossed in the questions and answers of the sacred text, his profile appearing exceptionally focused in the soft light.

She nodded gently and replied, "Okay, I'll be right there."

She didn't care about the serious injuries to humans, but the fact that the monsters were chasing after her caught her attention.

The monster they killed a few days ago was indeed not the only one; this "pest" that was hindering her travels must be eliminated as soon as possible.

She felt it was better for her, as an elder, to handle the matter.

Hopefully, the monster can be killed before Gu Yuan finishes the test.

That way, we can return in time to comfort him.

Turn around.

"Squeak—"

The sound of the wooden door being pushed was exceptionally clear.

He took a deep look at Gu Yuan, imprinting his image in his mind, and then...

"Bang."

The door closed slowly, and silence returned to the room.