Saving the World in an Apocalypse-Style Text Game-Chapter 638 - 321: Jinmu and Maggot Man, Hidden Map_3
[The Maggot Man was looking a little restless as though he wanted to move forward to snatch something, albeit hesitated and made no action.]
[Its eyes flickered for a long time before it spoke unwillingly...]
[As a child newly born from the ’Hatching Ground’, it was indeed a discarded product of a failed mutation.]
[Originally, every child at the onset of birth would receive the feathered power from the ’Wet Nurse’, as well as many battle memories.]
[Despite its failed mutation, it didn’t receive the innate power but got something extra.]
[An abandoned set of coordinates, it didn’t know what was hidden there, only that the destination was deep underground.]
[It could trade these unknown coordinates with you for two items necessary for feathering.]
[Would you like to make a trade with the ’Feathered Maggot Man’?]
"So, the reward is a hidden map..."
Lin Xun pressed ’yes’, agreeing to the trade.
[You exchange ’Ritualistic Blood’ and ’Miniature Statue’ with the Maggot Man. After accepting the two items, it tells you the unknown coordinates hidden deep underground as agreed...]
[You have learned the exact location of the ’Abandoned Ancient Nest’.]
[After the Maggot Man tells you the coordinates of the location, it ignores you, focusing on studying the ’Ritualistic Blood’ in its hands.]
[Would you like to leave this place?]
[Just as you were about to leave, the Maggot Man suddenly stood up and blocked your way.]
[It expressed its wish for you to stay put since you have just concluded a pleasant trade, suggesting to have another one. How does that sound?]
[It is about to start feathering but worries that the demon named ’Jinmu’ would come here during the process.]
[So, if the demon appears, you could help it fend off for a while, until it finishes feathering. As a reward, it would give you the coordinates of another location hidden underground...]
[Of course, if the demon does not show up, that would be best. It would still reward you after it finishes feathering.]
[Would you like to make a trade with the ’Feathering Maggot Man’?]
Lin Xun heaves a sigh.
"I initially thought that you had other plot events. Now, it seems there are none..."
He clicked ’yes’, agreeing to trade once more.
[The Maggot Man no longer paid you any heed, opening the glass bottle filled with ’Ritualistic Blood’, pouring the entire bottle’s contents into its body.]
[Discarding the empty bottle, it reverently held the ’Miniature Statue of the Desire Wet Nurse’ and silently muttered prayers...]
[As the worship progressed, its silent prayers slowly turned into muffled groans of pain, eventually escalating into sharp screams.]
[The ’Feathered Maggot Man’ could not maintain its posture of worship, started pounding the floor, and its skin began to peel off slowly, replaced by grey rigid shells...]
[A pair of black and white eyes transformed into completely black compound eyes filled with hexagonal tiny eye facets.] 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
[Its lips also transformed into a hideously frightening pair of mandibles.]
[The ’Feathered Maggot Man’ stood up, or, it should now be called the ’Feathered Scythe-wielder’.]
[It stared at its right forearm that turned into a scythe, laughing loudly. Is this the power of feathering? It’s so wonderful!]
[The ’Feathered Scythe-wielder’ thanked you sincerely. Maggot Man, it was grateful that you witnessed its feathering ceremony.]
[Unfortunately, it only had the coordinates of one underground location hidden up its sleeve, and it has already shared that with you.]
[As a reward, or compensation, it decided to give you another gift...]
[The ’Feathered Scythe-wielder’ suddenly pounced onto you, its scythe-shaped right limb radiating a chilling, sharp glow...]
[The gift is - Death!]
[Your whole body surged with True Element, averting its deadly attack by slightly swerving to one side.]
[The ’Feathered Scythe-wielder’, one side slashing madly, laughed loudly.]
[But before the laughter could escape its mouth, a sharp sword light pierced through its mandibles, blocking its brazen laughter.]
[The sword light darted back and forth swiftly, turning it into a sieve in no time.]
[The ’Feathered Scythe-wielder’ slowly fell to the ground, its limbs twitching. It looked at you in disbelief, mumbling, you, you were merely a lowly Maggot Man!]
[And it had mastered the real feathering power, why, how could this be...]
[You defeated the ’Feathered Scythe-wielder’, your experience has increased by a small amount!]
[You received ’Tenacious faint spirit sense’*1]
[You look at the dead body on the ground...]
[The ’Feathered Scythe-wielder’: this Maggot Man, a Shell that originally ’failed mutation’, turned out to successfully feather into a scythe-wielder after injecting the lowest level ’Ritualistic Blood’. It’s indeed a lucky one. However, the Maggot Man didn’t know that it didn’t fail but achieved unprecedented success in the hatching ground. Compatibility 86% (+55%)]
[Would you like to possess this Shell?]
"Huh?"
"Could there be some secret hidden within this Shell?"
