Bizarre Voyage: Summoning The Fourth Crisis

[Lord’s Command]

[Type: Letter]

[Content: All materials must be completely delivered today, or I’ll chop you up and feed you to the fish!]

[Explanation: Whether the Lord’s command was carried out is unknown, but one thing’s for sure: the fish in the sea went hungry.]

”Materials... What materials?”

After mulling over the words, Li Miao couldn’t help but look at the nearby crates.

”We’ll know once we open them and take a look.”

Shore walked right up and opened the crates the Labor Living Corpses had been carrying.

To be honest, the moment he opened the crates, he had braced himself for the worst. He would’ve accepted it if they were filled with human heads or guts.

But the contents of the crates still took him by surprise.

”Knives? Bugs? Pliers?”

”...What in the world is all this...”

Shore’s brows furrowed. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it, and a strange feeling washed over him.

’The Lord gave this captain a specific order just to transport these tools?’

SHIMMER...

The tools were clearly tied to the crates. Not long after they were opened, they completely dissipated.

”Let’s check the ship.”

Li Miao’s gaze fell upon the moored vessel.

「A moment later.」

...

”Something’s wrong. One hundred percent wrong,” Shore said. ”Given the atmosphere of this town, how could the Lord’s fleet possibly be transporting some insignificant tools?”

”The blades...”

Li Miao suddenly recalled the Blood Blades embedded in the Mad Fishermen and the lighthouse Guardian.

He guessed these tools were probably connected to them.

”Let’s go. We’ll check out that building,” Li Miao said.

They had already searched most of the harbor and had even killed the respawned monsters twice, but no new drops or anything of the sort had appeared.

Since there was nothing else of value, they had no choice but to press on.

A fairly wide stone road led from the harbor toward the building and the plaza.

The road was flanked by shops and residences, but they were now devoid of life, deathly still.

Occasionally, they would come across shriveled corpses that had died in gruesome ways.

Their causes of death were bizarre and varied, but without exception, they had all killed themselves.

As the two advanced, monsters began to appear.

However, they were only some [Townsfolk of Madness], who charged at the pair while screaming crazed nonsense.

But they were pathetically weak and posed no threat to the duo.

After lighting a Spirit Candle under the eaves of a house, the two pressed forward again.

They finally arrived in front of the building, which was also near the entrance to Regga Town’s plaza.

Coincidentally, however, a great commotion could be heard coming from both the plaza and the building.

From the building—no, it must be a tavern, as the game had automatically translated the sign for them, but that wasn’t the point.

The tavern’s main doors were wide open, and the intense sounds of fighting and destruction echoed from within.

Without a doubt, a battle was taking place inside.

Meanwhile, the scene in the plaza was utterly horrifying.

In the center of the plaza, a person in blood-red robes stood with their back to them, chanting whispers toward an unknown Array up ahead.

And around this person, in the middle of the plaza, hundreds of wooden flagpoles were hung with townsfolk covered in blades. Their fingernails had been pulled out, and their bodies were covered in mangled bite marks.

Faint, blurry, light-red lines of blood emanated from their heads, converging on the Array.

Furthermore, Li Miao had the strange feeling—though he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination—that while the faces of these miserably dead townsfolk were contorted in pain, they also held a hint of... relief?

Shore looked at the tavern on the left, then at the plaza on the right, hesitating.

”Miaozi, this... where should we go first?”

Li Miao was just about to speak.

When a conspicuous notification suddenly floated before his eyes.

[Specific Task: Rescue the mysterious character inside the tavern.]

’A hidden quest? A mysterious character?’

Li Miao and Shore exchanged a look, then ran into the tavern without another word.

THUD! THUD!

Before they even entered, the two heard a series of dull collisions.

An extremely obese figure slammed its belly forward, sending the person it hit flying backward into the tavern wall.

CLANG!

A Longsword fell to the floor. The figure coughed up a mouthful of blood. It was a Warrior in Light Armor, with faint scales on the edges of their face and beast-like claws on their fingers.

”Huh?”

Shore was stunned by the sight of the figure’s obviously inhuman appearance and physical traits.

”Stop gawking and help them,” Li Miao shouted with a frown, raising his Greatsword as fierce Warfire ignited around him.

[Mad Meatball]

[Tier: Embers]

[Level: 11]

[Explanation: Perhaps they were once just a group of pot-bellied townsfolk.]

They were a group of fleshy orbs, their bodies covered in fat and their skin glistening with oil. They had almost completely lost their human shape, appearing as spheres.

Their eyes were milky white, and Blood Blades were stuck in their heads to varying degrees. Their lips were pressed tightly shut, as if they were on the verge of vomiting uncontrollably.

Although their Level was not high and they had no special Warfire, appearing to be just Elite Monsters, there were four of them in total.

All of them were crammed into the tavern, their immense bodies making the entire place feel crowded.

The milky-white eyes of two of the Mad Meatballs locked onto Li Miao and Shore, while the other two turned their gaze to the mysterious character in the corner. Their fat jiggled as they moved.

”Shore, get him out of here! I’ll handle this.”

Li Miao roared, immediately raising his Law Knight’s Shield. His body seemed to swell as Warfire blazed, and he used Knight Charge to rush a Mad Meatball that was about to attack.

Shore didn’t waste a second. He quickly rushed to the mysterious character’s side, helped them up, and said, ”Let’s go!”

The character was dazed and surprised by their appearance, but their injuries prevented them from speaking. They could only lean on Shore and struggle toward the tavern entrance.

THUD!

At the same time, Li Miao sent a Mad Meatball flying.

The impact splattered his Law Knight’s Shield with greasy fat.

The Mad Meatball he had sent flying lost a chunk of its Blood Volume but wasn’t dead. Instead, right before Li Miao’s eyes, it hit the wall and ricocheted violently back toward him!

Li Miao’s pupils contracted. He instinctively wanted to Dodge, but he suddenly realized Shore hadn’t made it completely out from behind him yet.

Left with no choice, he halted his movement and braced himself with his Shield.

BAM! BAM!

After knocking aside another Mad Meatball that was approaching Li Miao, it slammed squarely into Li Miao’s Large Shield.

THOOOM—

An immense impact force struck him. Li Miao held his Shield with one hand and plunged his Law Greatsword into the floor with the other, desperately trying to hold his ground.

A large section of the floorboards shattered with a CRACK, and Li Miao was pushed almost all the way to the doorway before he stabilized himself.

”Damn it...”

His Life Value had dropped by a chunk, and Li Miao felt a tightness in his chest. Without a doubt, the last blow had caused internal injuries.

He glanced back and breathed a small sigh of relief upon seeing that Shore and the mysterious character had successfully exited the tavern.

Looking at the Mad Meatballs in front of him, Li Miao felt this was going to be tricky.

These Mad Meatballs were slow, but their charge speed was nothing to scoff at, and their Defense Power seemed absurdly high.

’Should I retreat for now? Shore already got the target out, anyway.’

But then, he suddenly froze.

He had noticed that the other Mad Meatball nearby had also lost health.

’It was hit when the other one ricocheted!’

A flash of inspiration struck Li Miao as he glanced at the tavern’s sturdy walls and relatively cramped space.

At this thought, the corners of Li Miao’s mouth curved up slightly, and he slowly raised his Large Shield.

He had a great idea.

FWOOSH!

Warfire ignited on his Law Knight’s Shield once more. The Mad Meatballs opposite him began to roll again, charging toward Li Miao.

THUD! THUD THUD!

An endless series of collisions echoed throughout the tavern!

Meanwhile, outside, Shore had moved the mysterious character to a safe location.

[Specific Task Updated]

[Specific Task: Learn the mysterious character’s origins]