The Wyolanders stared in shock at Zal'Gorath's severed head in Marshmallow's hands. Yep, it was definitely a zombified head. Blood kept gushing from the severed neck, forming a dark pool on the floor.

"How the hell is this a zombie?" Lynx said.

Marshmallow examined Zal'Gorath's face closely. His eyes were glassy and lifeless, and his skin had an unnatural grayish color typical of decaying corpses. Yet, something was different from the zombies he'd encountered before.

"This isn't your run-of-the-mill zombie," Marshmallow replied. "I've faced undead before, but this is next-level stuff."

Raven stepped closer, studying the head with a critical eye. "What do you mean?"

Marshmallow looked up at his companions. "The zombies I've dealt with in the past had lost their humanity completely. They were little more than beasts driven by the instinct to kill and destroy. But Zal'Gorath could talk, reason, and use complex strategies. Somehow, he kept his consciousness."

A shiver ran down Dragon Goat's spine. "Are you saying BloodLust can not only reanimate the dead but preserve their intelligence?"

"No, Dragon Goat." Marshmallow shook his head. "We're way beyond zombification here. This Zal'Gorath was way too strong, even for a maxed-out A Rank. There's something we're missing. I don't know what's going on, but BloodLust is doing some seriously messed up shit to his companions."

Dragon Goat scratched his chin thoughtfully. "But how's he pulling it off? He must have some incredibly overpowered Unique Skill to manage something like this."

"I don't think there's a Unique Skill capable of doing this," Parabellum said, shaking his head. "At least, I've never heard of one."

Marshmallow fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then, with a decisive gesture, he dropped Zal'Gorath's head to the ground. "Whatever BloodLust's secret is, we need to uncover it. And stop him."

With a nod of agreement, the group headed towards the door that Zal'Gorath had so fiercely defended. Marshmallow kicked it open with a powerful blow, revealing a long dark corridor beyond the threshold.

As they advanced determinedly down the shadowy passage, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. The silence was broken only by the sound of their purposeful steps, and after what seemed like an eternity, the corridor opened into a vast circular room. The Wyolanders entered, and a flickering bluish light that permeated the environment dazzled them. At the center of the room loomed a gigantic sphere of pulsating energy the same color as the ambient light.

"What the hell is that thing?" Parabellum whispered. Raven cautiously approached the sphere, trying to study it with her eyes. "It could be the power source for whatever BloodLust is doing here."

Marshmallow nodded, sharing Raven's hypothesis. His gaze wandered around the room, noticing for the first time the details of the surrounding environment. "Look," he said, pointing to different sections of the laboratory. "It seems there are two distinct areas."

The group split up to explore the different sections. Lynx discovered a series of capsules containing bodies in various stages of decomposition. Next to them, huge test tubes filled with a greenish liquid could clearly be seen, labeled "Necrosis Serum."

"Necrosis Serum... wonder what that's for."

Meanwhile, Parabellum and the Dragon Goat were examining the other section. There was an assembly line snaking along the wall, producing what appeared to be the mini airships they had faced outside the castle.

"Check this out," Parabellum called, pointing to a series of technical diagrams hung on the wall. "These airships aren't just machines. There are magical components integrated into the structure."

Marshmallow moved closer to get a better look. The diagrams showed a fusion of advanced technology and arcane magic. "BloodLust is creating a hybrid army. Monstrified soldiers and magical war machines. He's using the strongest for the former, the weakest for the latter."

It was then that Raven noticed something truly important. "Come see this!" She called, drawing the others' attention to a giant blackboard placed in a corner of the laboratory. They all quickly approached and were left breathless to see how the blackboard was covered with detailed diagrams illustrating a skill transfer process. Next to them, a long list reported the names of all the Novgovians and their respective stats and skills.

"No way..." Lynx murmured. Next to each of them, a specific phrase could be seen.

Dead and Transcended

"Oh yes, it can be," Marshmallow grimly replied. "BloodLust didn't just kill his companions. He transformed them into these monsters."

It was Dragon Goat who then noticed a sheet of paper on the floor. He picked it up carefully and began to read aloud.

"Day 26 of the Survivor Game," everyone's attention was focused on Dragon Goat. "The project is proceeding better than expected. The death of all my companions has proven to be a necessary and fruitful sacrifice. Their stats and Unique Skills, once extracted, can be amplified and are producing results beyond my expectations. Experiment #42, Zal'Gorath, has proven to be a full success. His Very Unique Skill 'Gravitokinesis' was boosted by 300% once transferred into the reanimated corpse. The infusion of the Necrosis Serum made all this possible, having reanimated the body into one of my adepts. Note: increase the serum dose for future similar experiments. The end has justified the means. When I win the Survivor Game, my plan can be carried forward."

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A deathly silence fell over the group as they absorbed the implications of those words. "What... what kind of monster is BloodLust?" Lynx whispered.

Raven shook her head with a grim face. "I told you before. That being has nothing human left. For him, winning the Survivor Game seems to be just a means to achieve an even more terrible end."

"But what plan?" Parabellum asked, frustrated. "What could be worse than all this?"

Marshmallow remained silent as he heard his companions speak. His mind was working frantically to process all the information, and it was telling him that there was something he was missing, a missing piece of the puzzle.

Dragon Goat, meanwhile, had continued to explore the laboratory and noticed an inscription on the margins of the large blackboard. "There's something else here!" He called to the others. "There's an inscription: 'But where has my masterpiece gone?'"

Dragon Goat then turned to his companions. But before he could say anything else, a metallic noise drew everyone's attention to a ventilation duct on the ceiling.

With a deafening crash, the grate was ripped off and a monstrous creature emerged from the duct, landing on the floor. Its body was a twisted mass of putrid flesh, with countless tentacles like vines spreading in all directions.

"What the hell is that thing?" Parabellum shouted, horrified by the living nightmare.

They didn't have time to answer. The creature attacked with bestial ferocity, hurling its tentacles at them. Marshmallow threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding a blow that could have decapitated him.

To their amazement, the group realized that each tentacle seemed to possess a different Unique Skill. One decomposed matter at touch, another transformed into razor-sharp blades, a third divided into dozens of thinner but equally lethal filaments.

"This is impossible!" Parabellum shouted as he avoided a jet of acid. "How can it have so many Unique Skills?"

Marshmallow gritted his teeth, realizing the truth. "BloodLust must have managed to incorporate the Unique Skills of many Novgovians into a single body."

Without wasting time, Marshmallow decided to test his new Very Unique Skill. Concentrating intensely, he activated the Gravitokinesis he had just acquired from Zal'Gorath. An invisible force slammed into the creature, crushing it to the ground with a dull thud.

For a moment, the monster seemed to have been immobilized on the ground, but Marshmallow realized with frustration that his version of the ability was much less powerful than Zal'Gorath's. In fact, within a few seconds, the creature had managed to rise and dart to the side, freeing itself from his gravitational grip.

"Damn it!" Marshmallow cursed as the creature, wriggling, fled the room by smashing through the main door of the laboratory. The group remained motionless for a moment, still shaken by the encounter.

"Should we chase it?" Lynx asked, uncertain.

Marshmallow nodded decisively. "We don't have a choice. If we let it go, it'll definitely come back. And think about how many Unique Skills I could get if we manage to take it down."

Without further hesitation, the group nodded and set off in pursuit of the creature. Marshmallow was the first to cross the threshold of the laboratory, his mind already projected towards the battle.

But what he found beyond the door left him breathless.

He found himself completely alone, in an area of the castle he had never seen before. Confused, he looked around, searching for his companions. "Raven? Lynx? Where are you guys?"

He got no response. The silence was total, interrupted only by the accelerated beating of his heart.

That's when he saw it. A gigantic spiral staircase unfolded before him downwards, losing itself in the darkness below. Marshmallow cautiously leaned forward, trying to glimpse the bottom, but the abyss seemed endless.

Where the hell did I end up? Where are my companions?

He wanted to go back. He didn't want to leave his group to face that nauseating monster alone, but suddenly, a screen appeared before his eyes with super bright letters floating in the air.

PROCEED. THIS IS THE WAY TO BLOODLUST.

Marshmallow swallowed. He was alone, separated from his companions, facing what could be the final battle.

But he wasn't afraid. On the contrary, he felt adrenaline coursing through his veins, a fierce determination burning in his chest, igniting everything that could be ignited.

With a deep breath, he took the first step towards the staircase.

Towards BloodLust.

Towards his destiny.