You were given the authority to tame beasts, not to raise unspeakable animals.

That one glance.

That's a bird's-eye view from the top of the food chain.

boom!

It felt as if ten thousand tons of explosives had been stuffed into Gao Lin's mind and then detonated simultaneously.

Countless indescribable murmurs, distorted geometric shapes, and whispers of ancient gods instantly shattered her fragile defenses of reason.

"Ah...ah...eyes...there are eyes in the bag..."

The poisoned blade in Gao Lin's hand clattered to the ground.

She gripped her hair tightly with both hands, her eyes rolled back, her once delicate face contorted into a grimace, white foam gushing from the corners of her mouth, and meaningless gurgling sounds emanating from her throat.

That's a sign that the Sanity value drops to zero instantly.

The effect of "Dust of Tranquility" ends at this very moment.

The piercing scream finally pierced through the gray fog and reached the ears of everyone in the rest area.

"What's going on?!"

The hound practically sprang into the air, instantly cocking its revolver, and charged towards the enemy with several still-capable team members.

Break through the fog.

The sight before them made everyone stop in their tracks.

Gao Lin was limp on the ground, her whole body convulsing wildly on the obsidian floor, her rolled-back eyes filled with extreme terror.

And Chen Mo.

He was half-squatting on the ground, holding a wet wipe in his hand, wiping away non-existent dust from the backpack zipper with a look of disgust.

"What...what's going on?" The hound, gun raised, frantically scanned the surroundings. "Deputy Captain Gao? Where's her dragon? Where did the Lava Tyrannosaurus go?!"

Such a huge dragon, even if it died, should have a corpse!

Chen Mo slowly folded the dirty wet wipe, put it in his pocket, then stood up, a look of both innocence and regret on his face.

He pointed to the bottomless dark abyss at the edge of the terrace.

"I didn't see it clearly either."

Chen Mo spread his hands, his tone so sincere it almost brought tears to one's eyes: "It seems Deputy Captain Gao wanted to bring her dragon over to see the scenery. You know, dragons are fiery and quite lively."

"Maybe it saw something fun down there, or... its foot slipped?"

"He shot off in a flash. There was no stopping him."

Chen Mo shook his head, glanced at Gao Lin who was still foaming at the mouth on the ground, and sighed, "Deputy Captain Gao is very sentimental. She watched her beloved pet fall and was so heartbroken that she... fainted from crying."

The scene was deathly silent.

Only the mournful sound of the wind blowing through the abyss could be heard.

The hound looked at the empty edge of the cliff, then at Gao Lin, who seemed to have gone mad.

Did your foot slip?

A-grade dragon, monarch-level potential, even a blind person couldn't possibly fall off such a large terrace!

And there wasn't even an echo when it fell?

This is an insult to people's intelligence!

but……

The hound's gaze fell on Chen Mo's ordinary canvas bag. The bag looked flat and empty, not at all like the kind of bag that could hide a dragon.

What else could it be besides that explanation?

Surely it couldn't have been eaten by that F-rank student, could it?

"They've gone mad...they've all gone mad..."

Seeing Gao Lin's horrific state, one of the team members finally broke down. "This place is too eerie! Even Vice-Captain Gao's dragon could disappear inexplicably... We're going to die here!"

Just as panic was about to erupt among the crowd.

[Ding! Your pet 'Cthulhu (juvenile form)' has devoured a high-level fire elemental dragon and is in an extremely pleasant mood.]

Evolution progress +15%.

[Gained new trait: Abyssal Dragonfire (The fire it breathes has a mental corrosive effect).]

[New Form Unlock Preview: Abyss Nightmare (30% Progress)]

As Chen Mo listened to the pleasant notification sound in his mind, the corners of his mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

He clapped his hands, breaking the deadlock.

"Alright, stop scaring yourself. Since Deputy Captain Gao isn't feeling well, let the two injured guys stay here to take care of her and wait for rescue."

Chen Mo turned around, his gaze falling on the magnificent palace that was now almost within reach.

At this moment, the two massive bronze doors of the palace, each a hundred meters high, began to slowly slide open to the sides with a muffled rumble.

A strange smell wafted out from under the door.

It didn't smell like the stench of decay, nor did it smell like blood.

It was an intensely rich fruity aroma. Like a ripe peach, mixed with the scent of honey and roasted meat, even more enticing than the most expensive perfume.

I only took a sniff.

The people who were trembling with fear suddenly developed an expression of fascination and ecstasy. Even the hunting dog's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, its Adam's apple bobbing as it felt a strong hunger rising within it.

"It smells so good..." one team member murmured, his feet involuntarily moving forward. "Is there...something delicious inside?"

Chen Mo frowned at this moment.

The all-seeing eye was frantically alarming on his retina.

[WARNING! High-energy reaction ahead!]

[Scene: Elysium Garden]

[Attributes: Charm/Parasitism/Gluttony]

[Review: It looks like a buffet, but you're actually the dish. Don't breathe! Those are spores!]

"hound!"

Chen Mo shouted sharply, his voice carrying a hint of mental impact.

"If you don't want a tumor the size of a watermelon to grow in your stomach, wear your breathing mask on completely!"

The hound shuddered, jolting awake from its intoxication. Staring at the deadly allure of the door before it, cold sweat instantly soaked its back.

This doesn't smell like fruit at all.

This is clearly an air freshener sprayed by Death to cover up the stench of corpses.

"Everyone! Hold your breath! That fragrance is poisonous!"

After the hunting dog finished barking, it subconsciously looked at Chen Mo.

The boy, who had just been saying "the dragon is lost," was now taking out industrial-grade noise-canceling earplugs and a gas mask from his backpack, and even putting a transparent protective film over the backpack.

"Let's go."

Chen Mo's voice was muffled behind the mask, sounding somewhat distorted, yet it exuded a reassuring calmness.

"The road ahead isn't very smooth, but my pet says..."

He patted the backpack, which had just digested a dragon and was now slightly warm.

"That's its backyard; it wanted to check if those trees had grown crooked."