Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

The moment the dagger pierced Cthulhu's heart, time seemed to freeze.

Lilia covered her mouth, Hydra's staff almost slipped from her hand, and even Su Zhisu's pupils shrank.

No one expected that this seemingly completely controlled puppet would turn against them at the most crucial moment.

Cthulhu slowly lowered his head, looking at the tip of the blade protruding from his chest.

The emerald-inlaid blade gleamed eerily under the pale moonlight of the Sea Moon Altar.

She didn't fall down, and she didn't even bleed.

Instead, she slowly turned her head to look at Elias, who was still in the assassination pose behind her, and a cold smile mixed with surprise and absurdity appeared on her face.

"You..." Cthulhu's voice was soft, yet it caused the temperature of the entire altar to plummet.

"A mere third-tier puppet, yet..."

"How dare you lay a hand on me?"

Elias took over the conversation, his gentle smile vanishing completely, replaced by a cold, almost insane calm.

"Of course I dare."

He abruptly withdrew his short sword and leaped back several steps, his movements so fluid that he didn't seem like a manipulated puppet at all.

What dripped from the blade was not blood, but wisps of emerald green, seemingly alive mist—a symbol of authority.

Cthulhu looked down at the slowly healing wound on his chest, then looked up at the dagger in Elias's hand, his green pupils showing a genuine flicker for the first time.

"That knife...something's wrong. What exactly is that knife?!"

Elias held the dagger horizontally in front of his eyes, his tongue slowly licking the emerald mist flowing across the blade.

The emerald green mist swirled around, as if it contained a breathtaking dream.

"This isn't for killing people."

Detailed information about the short sword appeared in Su Zhisu's field of vision:

【Trojan Horse of Fate - The Betrayal of Speculators】

[Quality]: Purple Epic

[Extra]: Fate Horse: The Fate Horse can only be used 3 times, currently with 0/3 uses remaining. After a successful backstab, one of the stolen ability's abilities will be stored on the Fate Horse, and the stolen ability will be temporarily lost. Maximum storage quantity: 1.

[Information]: The Destiny Wooden Horse has been corrupted by strange power and can only be used once against a great being of the fourth rank. After the power stored on the Destiny Wooden Horse disappears, the Destiny Wooden Horse will be destroyed.

The ability to steal? Effective against fourth-order beings? Alarm bells rang in Su Zhisu's mind.

"What exactly did you steal?" Cthulhu's voice was as cold as ice.

Elias did not answer, but simply raised the dagger above his head.

On the blade, the emerald green mist began to surge violently, eventually coalescing into an incredibly complex symbol—a mark composed of countless tiny fragments of dreams, so intricate that a single glance was enough to make one dizzy.

"Dream! Realm! Authority!" Cthulhu uttered these four words, each one distinct, his anger almost tangible.

"You reckless thief!"

The moment the words left his mouth, something strange happened.

First, there were the residents on the stands surrounding the altar.

The Atlanteans, who were immersed in a dream amidst the green mist, suddenly froze.

The greenery in their eyes vanished like the receding tide, replaced by a sense of bewilderment and confusion upon waking.

"Where...where am I?"

"What happened?"

"What...what was I doing just now?"

A cacophony of sounds erupted from all directions, quickly escalating from whispers to panicked shouts.

The crowd began to stir. Some tried to stand up but stumbled and fell because they had been sitting for a long time. Some looked around blankly for their families. Many more were terrified by the bizarre sight before them—a temple, a moon altar, and a floating Cthulhu.

Chaos spread like a plague.

Having lost the forced guidance of dream authority, these residents, who have just awakened from the "shared dream," are now left with only the most primal instincts: fear, confusion, and the ensuing chaos.

Screams, cries, and shoving filled the air.

The once orderly and solemn altar stands were transformed into a chaotic vortex in an instant.

"Did you see that?"

Elias sheathed the dagger in his sleeve, a sneer of triumph spreading across his face: "This is my true purpose."

"Trying to assassinate a great being? I'm not that naive."

"But as long as you temporarily lose control of Atlantis..."

"easy."

He turned around, as if to blend into the shadows.

"You think this is the end?"

Cthulhu's voice was forced out through clenched teeth: "The stolen authority is completely unusable for you; it's merely a fraction of the power of this projected body!"

"Once I complete the Ritual of the Sea Moon, reclaiming power will be a piece of cake."

Elias stopped and slowly turned around.

At that moment, his expression became unusually strange—it wasn't the expression a normal creature should have, but rather something completely different, wearing human skin, grinning.

"Who told you I need to use it?"

Before he finished speaking, Elias's body began to change:

Fine, lifelike black lines appeared on his skin, and his eyes turned a completely murky dark red.

Even more shockingly, a massive and twisted power erupted from his body—a bizarre power twisted to the extreme, viscous, eerie, insane, and polluting.

"This is……"

Lilia exclaimed.

Su Zhisu's vision refreshed to reveal information about Leias:

[Elijas/? ? ?]

[Category]: Strange Disciple (Strange Side, Third-Order Corruptor)

[Rank]: Peak of the Third Rank

[Status]: Deeply polluted, completely transformed

Health Points: 100%

[Rationality]: -100/-100

[Strange Power]: 39??/39?? (The difference is too large to obtain complete information)

[Physical]: 17? (The discrepancy is too large to obtain complete information)

[Mental State]: -19? (The difference is too large to obtain complete information)

[Occupation]: ? ? ? (The discrepancy is too large to obtain complete information)

[Talent/Ability/Skill]: ? ? ? (The difference is too large to obtain complete information)

[Information]: Former head of the Hydeland delegation, now completely corrupted by strange and mysterious forces. Currently a third-tier being - the Strange Disciple, serving an unknown, great being of the strange and mysterious side.

"You've sided with the forces of the strange and uncanny?"

Cthulhu narrowed his eyes, his tone becoming serious for the first time.

"Seeking refuge? No, I am converting to Buddhism."

Elias, or rather Elias in the past—with his arms outstretched, his posture was almost pious.

"When I understood the truth of this world, when I saw that great being... I realized that you foreign gods, like those lost lambs, are merely prisoners on a deserted island!"

"Only by surrendering to wondrous power can one achieve true liberation!!!"

The strange power surrounding him grew stronger and stronger, even beginning to corrode the surrounding air, emitting a hissing, corrosive sound.

"As for this knife..."

Elias touched the wooden horse of destiny hidden in his sleeve.

"I can't use your authority. But the being I serve is happy to accept this 'gift' as research material."

Cthulhu was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "So, you were a pawn planted by some strange power from the very beginning? Pretending to be controlled by my dream, while actually waiting for this opportunity?"

"To be precise, it's a double disguise."

Elias bowed slightly, performing an exaggerated gesture of respect.

"I had to deceive you, and I had to deceive the Queen. But now, none of that matters anymore."