As Li Chengyi continued digging, the earth around the Mountain Red flower began to form a small pit.
The hole grew deeper and wider, eventually becoming a cylindrical shape.
Li Chengyi focused intently on his digging, almost forgetting about the slot machine in the distance.
Strangely, no matter how much he dug, the roots of the Mountain Red seed endless, burrowing deeper and deeper underground.
The brown flower roots stretched downward, resembling writhing ginseng roots, extending into the depths.
After digging over half a ter down, Li Chengyi still hadn’t reached the end of the roots, making him feel sothing was off.
‘I can't waste ti here. If I suddenly exit the mory flash, all of this will be for nothing.’
He glanced at the small white flower of the Mountain Red isolated at the center.
With a determined heart, he abruptly severed the roots below the flower, deciding to take only the upper part with him.
The instant his blade cut through the roots, the Mountain Red's stem, leaves, and petals began to wither and blacken rapidly.
In less than five seconds, the flower dried up, shrank into a pile of black residue.
Three seconds later, under Li Chengyi's stunned gaze, the black residue began to fade, losing color, until it completely disappeared.
In just ten seconds, the entire mysterious flower vanished from his sight.
“...What…!!?” Li Chengyi knelt on one knee, his hand still poised protectively around where the flower had been.
But now, that gesture was pointless.
He’d made a mistake…
A mistake that had possibly destroyed a unique flower capable of strengthening him in ways beyond his understanding…
A wave of indescribable loss surged through him.
But he knew in his heart that, even if he hadn’t made it disappear, it was likely that after the Mist Street Dead End vanished, he would still lose it.
Most Dead Ends appear and disappear over ti. Only a few manage to persist indefinitely.
‘Maybe…there are other unusual flowers in other Dead Ends. Even if this one’s lost, it can’t be helped. I didn’t know it couldn’t be transplanted, nor did I expect this to happen…’
He slowly stood up, his face impassive.
‘No, wait!’
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
‘Dead Ends have real-world counterparts! I haven’t failed yet; there’s still hope!’
His thoughts cleared instantly—since Dead Ends often have real counterparts, and there was a small white flower here, it was likely that this flower exists in reality too. He might be able to find it in the real world and absorb its power without needing to transplant it!
‘I have to find the real-world counterpart!’
A determination ford in his mind.
‘And the chubby kid is the key!’ His thoughts aligned more clearly.
‘So, the main goal now is to exit the mory flash and follow that kid! If too much ti passes, he might get away!’
Li Chengyi’s mind honed in on this objective, and he started backing away.
The best way to exit a mory flash within a Dead End was usually to distance oneself or wait.
Previously, he’d used distance, retreating to escape the mory flash.
If he could step out of the mory-activated area, he would snap back to full consciousness.
But just as he lifted his foot to step back—
“Shake, shake, shake, co on now, shake it up! Apples, veggies, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and grapes big and round!”
A strange song drifted over from the direction of the slot machine.
The magnetic pull of the voice slowed his retreating step.
Unconsciously, Li Chengyi found himself listening to the song, its rhythm soothing, making him want to keep listening.
Gradually, he took a step forward, then another, moving toward the slot machine.
“!!?”
Suddenly, Li Chengyi snapped out of it, realizing he’d walked over two ters from where he’d been digging up the white flower!
Not only had he not retreated, but he’d also advanced by over two ters!
‘What the hell!?’
He imdiately turned around and started running in the opposite direction.
One ter.
Two ters.
Three ters.
“Doot doot doot~~~ Fruit Adventure! One coin is all you need to spin! Match two symbols for ten tis the prize!”
“Match three for thirty tis the prize!! Whatever you desire most in your heart, it could be here! Co on, co on!”
A strange voice echoed from the slot machine, neither male nor female, like a clown singing through a strained throat or a distorted synthesized tone—anything but a natural voice.
At the sound of that voice, Li Chengyi’s retreat slowed again.
His eyes grew blank, his expression wooden, as he turned and began walking toward the slot machine.
One step.
Another step.
His steps were slow but steady, each one carrying him closer.
A hint of struggle flashed in his eyes.
This faint mont of resistance alerted him to his current situation—he was moving toward the slot machine on his own!? His body seed beyond his control, inching forward.
‘Sothing’s wrong! My body…’ Li Chengyi’s heart pounded with fear as he realized he felt trapped within his own body, unable to control any of his limbs.
A surge of strategies raced through his mind, and a flash of inspiration struck him.
‘Flower Language: Fortify!’
Buzz!!
In an instant, Li Chengyi’s whole body seed to glimr faintly with a golden light.
His skin, eyes, hair, nails, and even his clothes briefly shone with a golden radiance.
The fortification power of the Sword Lily’s flower language bolstered both his physical and ntal resilience.
**Flower Language - Fortify**: When activated, greatly enhances physical and ntal fortitude, lasting fifteen minutes with a one-hour cooldown.
He could feel the control of his body returning to him.
Without hesitation, he turned and bolted.
Thud, thud, thud.
He sprinted away from the slot machine, disappearing into the gray mist.
‘Once I’m out, I have to find that chubby kid!’
His only thought now was to locate the boy and find the real-world Mist Street. That might be his only chance to regain the Mountain Red’s flower language!
Thud, thud, thud!
With swift strides, Li Chengyi noticed the mist gradually thinning in front of him.
Then, about ten ters away, he saw the colorful slot machine again.
His body went cold, and he stopped dead in his tracks, panting as he glared at the lone slot machine.
Behind it, the sign for Wu Ji Convenience Store was clearly visible.
Yet Li Chengyi felt an inexplicable heaviness settling in.
“Shake, shake, shake, co on now, shake it up…”
The slot machine resud its song.
A strange force engulfed Li Chengyi, causing his gaze to flicker between confusion and resistance.
Once more, his body began drifting toward the slot machine.
Step by step by step.
“Sword Lily!!” Li Chengyi roared in a low voice.
His face contorted as a faint golden glow enveloped him.
Golden petals of the Sword Lily fluttered around him, forming a fierce, bronze-gold armor over his body.
Donning the Flower Scale Armor, he activated Fortify once again.
Imdiately, his ntal fortitude surged, allowing him to regain control over his body.
“You think I’ll let you keep singing!?”
In a fit of rage, he stord up to the slot machine and kicked it.
Bang!!!
The machine toppled over, the control panel sliced open by the blades on his armored foot, leaving it unusable.
Sparks of blue electricity crackled within the cracks, and the voice faltered, breaking into disjointed syllables.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!!!
Li Chengyi swung at the machine repeatedly, his two wide-bladed swords hacking it into pieces.
Bits of plastic and tal parts scattered everywhere.
The song fell silent, and in re seconds, the slot machine lay in a heap of disarrayed scraps.
Breathing heavily, Li Chengyi stood back, surveying the aftermath.
The destruction had effectively broken the machine’s hold over him.
But now, he felt an inexplicable shift in the surroundings.
The storefronts lining Mist Street, cloaked in gray fog, seed slightly altered from before.
‘Is this because I destroyed the slot machine?’
He wasn’t sure, but he doubted it would be this easy to disable the machine permanently.
Surely others before him had thought of breaking the slot machine to escape.
Yet when he entered, the machine was intact.
Which ant it likely had a self-repair function.
‘Now, sothing else should change…’ Li Chengyi scanned his surroundings cautiously.
Suddenly, a sharp screech ca from behind, approaching rapidly.
In an instant, a black-hooded, masked figure in tattered robes was upon him, covering the hundred-ter distance in the blink of an eye.
Li Chengyi barely had ti to switch into the Wisteria Flower Scale Armor before feeling a blunt impact against his chest.
Thud!!!
His body jolted, and beneath his helt, he felt… puzzled?
‘It doesn’t…hurt?’
Li Chengyi’s expression froze. He’d braced himself for severe injury.
But…
The armor absorbed the entire blow without issue.
Looking down, he saw the assailant: a mysterious figure in a pitch-black mask adorned with a white cross pattern, lacking any visible facial features.
The figure held a twisted, wave-like black dagger that had struck Li Chengyi’s chest with great force.
Yet Li Chengyi felt nothing.
The combined fortification of the Wisteria Flower Scale Armor and Fortify flower language had an explosive effect.
With a quick
glance at the figure, Li Chengyi raised his hand, summoning the Sword Lily’s golden longsword.
He sliced the figure cleanly in two, severing it at the waist without a single drop of blood spilling.
The figure collapsed, crumbling like an empty shell—just a set of moving cloaks and robes.
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