Almost instantly upon receiving the enhancement, Alexander felt light and agile, moving swiftly as if flying. He sprinted and lunged toward the riot gun.

“Bang!”

The sound of gunfire echoed as a tear gas grenade detonated in front of the Deep One, Roland, enveloping him in a thick smoke. The irritants from the gas overwhelmed Roland’s mucous membranes, forcing him to crouch down.

Faced with this opportunity, no one present would let it pass. Ammunition poured down mercilessly.

This time, even if Roland wasn’t injured, the intense barrage knocked him over.

“I’m surprised you managed to make it here…”

Janet sneered, issuing a command, and the Shoggoth amalgamated with numerous Deep Ones began to undulate.

The massive black gelatinous mass rolled slowly like jelly across the ground toward the group.

Numerous appendages extended from the mass, reaching four to five meters, branching out like a tree, dense and overwhelming.

“Run…”

Spain shoved Pete aside as their hiding spot was pierced by countless appendages.

“What the hell is this thing?”

Alexander couldn’t identify the creature but sensed it was formidable, far more challenging than smaller Shoggoths.

Reloading the riot gun, he fired another tear gas grenade, yet the black mass was unaffected, continuing to roll forward.

Zoom! A figure swiftly approached from afar, hurling a skull-shaped flail that shattered many of the appendages.

Though the impact didn’t damage the remaining appendages, the Shoggoth’s liquid material quickly reformed, returning to the main body.

But it didn’t end there—azure flames erupted from the chain, incinerating the writhing liquid.

“This monster has self-healing capabilities, making its body nearly invulnerable,” Xu Lin remarked. He had miraculously repelled the Star Spawn, seemingly returning with ease.

In reality, it wasn’t simple; he had consumed one magic potion and deployed his powerful fragment, “Turandot,” twice to finally defeat the formidable Star Spawn.

…The Star Spawn was already a top-tier dangerous species.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

In the script worlds of the Spectral Realm, monsters had hierarchies… The lowest were ordinary creatures with no ranking, while more formidable ones were termed “dangerous species.”

Typical dangerous species, like the Deep One Roland, possessed unique traits such as immunity to conventional gunfire, with only heavy weaponry able to harm them.

As for proper dangerous species like the Star Spawn, ordinary human weapons were ineffective against them; only a strategist’s sacrificial blade or summoned shadow beast could deal damage to these creatures.

Eliminating a dangerous species like the Star Spawn could earn bonus points and a “Spectral Ember.”

Spectral Embers, a special item only obtained by killing dangerous species, appeared as bronze-colored flames.

These were highly valuable and rare among strategists.

“Only two magic potions left, meaning I can use ‘Turandot’ four times, so I must exercise caution…”

He swiftly retrieved a syringe, injecting the magic into his bloodstream, supplying his fragment. The “heart” within him pulsed, invigorated by the magic.

Xu Lin extended his hand, forming a rune in his palm, unleashing a petrification spell.

The spell hit the massive Deep One, steadily turning half of its body to stone.

“Good, keep petrifying it!”

The petrification spread, but just as it was about to cover the other half, it halted.

What’s going on?

Xu Lin widened his eyes as bubbles appeared on the Deep One’s skin, indicating internal changes that resisted the petrification.

This dangerous species was even more troublesome than the Star Spawn!

...

While Xu Lin battled the Shoggoth, Eric quietly took a long detour, sneaking toward Linda.

He aimed to rescue Linda during the distraction, as per Alexander’s instructions.

He moved quickly, and with everyone’s attention on Xu Lin and the Shoggoth, he, the smallest and least noticeable among them, went unnoticed.

“Compared to us, you’re less likely to draw enemy attention. To survive, we need your help…” Alexander’s words echoed in his mind.

“I want to survive too. I want to be stronger. If I die here, what will happen to my parents and family…”

Even Eric held onto this unwillingness to accept his fate. In the script world designed by the Spectral Realm, death was unjustly arbitrary.

…Surviving was equally a tough ordeal.

He crawled on the ground, mustering every bit of strength to move slowly forward.

At this moment, a massive figure spotted Eric sneaking in the dark—it was the wounded Deep One, Roland. He glanced at Eric heading toward Linda, pretending not to see anything.

Despite being blind in one eye, the bleeding had stopped, and the irritation to his mucous membranes had subsided. Frankly, Spain and the others’ attacks had little effect on him initially.

Now, the towering Deep One stood, stretching his two-meter frame, baring sharp teeth as he marched toward Spain’s concealed firing position. Of course, he didn’t forget to pick up his massive axe, which had decapitated half of Jin Jianshu’s head.

“We’re out of tear gas grenades. Do you have any ideas on dealing with this creature?” Alexander realized the riot gun was empty and discarded his Mossberg M500 bullpup shotgun.

“Ideas?”

Spain chuckled with a cigarette in his mouth, “If you could cast a few spells like your companion, then maybe I could send this monster to the moon. Otherwise, we’re just waiting to die here.”

“Then let’s go with that.”

Alexander noticed Annandon had been dragged over by a few people.

“Can I leave now…” Annandon asked in panic, but Pete brandished his gun, sneering, “Shut up if you don’t want to die.”

It was time to make use of him. Staring at Annandon filled with fear, Alexander stood up decisively, pressing his Glock 18 to Annandon’s head and pulling him out.

“Stop right there, Janet, or I’ll blow this guy’s head off…” He shouted towards the distance, restraining Annandon tightly.