I knew saving the princess wouldn't be easy!!!
Around him, dozens—no, thousands—of Eva Spawn were rising from the withered, reddish-brown ground.
A flash of golden light flickered across the ruins, then vanished into the sea of translucent red creatures writhing like Eva herself.
Taking cover behind a collapsed wall, Lam Huy Trường stopped and scanned his surroundings.
He exhaled shortly.
His gaze dropped to his hand.
Still trembling.
He didn't know if it was excitement… or fear.
But his mind felt unnaturally clear.
His heart raced.
Every sense was pushed to its limit.
A red interface flickered into view before his eyes.
Evolution Progress: 69%.
Alright.
He reviewed the plan in his head while keeping his distance, observing the Eva Spawn from afar.
There was no information on the Boss—
Or rather…
Eros, Eva's evolved form, had never existed before.
In Lam Huy Trường's memory, the opening boss had only been a tentacled aberration, mixed with venomous snake traits.
Something like a mutated red octopus fused with the head of Medusa from Greek mythology.
In short—
…this was no longer the game he once knew.
He glanced at the Custom Medical Gun in his right hand.
His left hand tossed a white stone into the air—
then caught it.
Once.
Then again.
The motion repeated, steady, almost unconscious.
Until—
"Professor, this is insane."
The AI's voice rang out, sharp—like a lover losing patience.
"You are making a decision with a near 999% chance of death."
"Professor, did something go wrong while you were unconscious?"
"Do you require emergency therapy via 10,000 volts?"
"No, no, Mrs. AI, don't!" Lam Huy Trường quickly cut in.
"To be honest," the AI continued mercilessly, "when I heard your 'we'll deal with it step by step' plan, I seriously considered knocking you out and asking Lyra Granger to drag you back to the shelter."
Lam Huy Trường scratched his head, giving an awkward smile.
But before he could reply—
ROAR!
A crimson shadow screamed and lunged straight at him.
"…Ah. I've been spotted."
He immediately stepped back.
His eyes swept across the battlefield, searching for a safe point.
Alright.
This return point… acceptable.
Then his gaze shifted toward an open space near the massive, pulsating cocoon.
Too open.
And far too dangerous.
From his observation, the optimal positions to approach Eva were disappearing.
But—
there was no choice left.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
This feeling…
was like buying a World Cup ticket at the last minute.
No good seats left to choose from.
Even as Mrs. AI kept talking in his ear—almost shouting—
Lam Huy Trường simply smiled.
Survival came first.
From the very beginning, he had chosen a short-range teleportation strategy.
Avoid being pushed back into zones where the return point lay in dangerous areas.
Golden light enveloped his body once more.
He spoke loud enough for Mrs. AI to hear:
"Mrs. AI, prepare Magnum V… and the transparent stone—the 'frozen teardrop' one."
"Wait—don't—"
Her words were cut off.
His entire body turned into a streak of golden light—
and vanished.
He reappeared—
right in the middle of five, six Eva Spawn.
They all turned at once.
Staring.
In Lam Huy Trường's right hand, a transparent crystal floated in midair.
Inside it, faint layers of light drifted slowly…
like a dream stretched into eternity.
"I wonder if monsters can dream…"
His voice dropped.
"If not…"
His left hand tightened around Magnum V, raising it.
"…then go to sleep."
A howl tore through the air.
The Eva Spawn lunged like predators.
A sweeping slash—
cut through the wind.
It passed just meters from where Lam Huy Trường had been standing.
But—
it stopped.
Its head tilted slightly.
As if sniffing.
Those hollow, crimson eyes…
flickered.
Shadows began to appear around it.
Faint.
Blurry.
But enough to interfere.
Its gaze swept across those shadows—
then suddenly locked onto a point behind it.
A point…
where nothing existed.
It roared—
and tore into its own kind.
The other Eva Spawn began to fall out of sync.
Some attacked a beat too early—
others a beat too late.
As if…
they no longer existed within the same moment.
Lam Huy Trường watched the scene unfold.
His heartbeat was still a step too fast.
That attack just now—
too fast to dodge.
If not for the Eternal Love Time Boots with +55% evasion, he would have been hit.
But the lingering sensation…
was wrong.
It wasn't just that he dodged.
It was—
he had seen himself standing somewhere else.
Not an illusion.
Another version of himself—
had chosen a different action.
As if countless parallel versions of him existed here…
each taking different paths.
A chill ran down his spine.
Like something had just licked along it.
Alright.
His body moved immediately.
Continuous.
Decisive.
The clones' lunges tore through empty air where he had just been.
A gap opened—
safe… but not entirely.
Lam Huy Trường scanned his surroundings.
No pause.
Golden light surged, wrapping around him once more.
Flash.
He vanished.
This time—
he reappeared closer to the cocoon.
Clearer.
More dangerous.
He activated the Everlasting Dream Wishing Stone.
A dim, hazy light spread from the transparent crystal.
It covered him—
like an invisible cloak.
The closer he moved—
the stronger the danger grew.
Not ordinary pressure.
More like a fear debuff…
pressed directly onto his perception.
He clenched his hand.
Forcing himself to stay calm.
Worst case—
he still had his final trump card.
He slipped past a Clone.
Normally—
it shouldn't have been able to see him.
But—
it froze.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Its head turned toward him.
Those hollow red eyes…
locked onto where he stood.
For a split second—
Lam Huy Trường trembled.
An image flashed through his mind.
His body torn apart.
Blood splattering everywhere.
Like that professor before.
"…no way…"
The thought slipped out.
"I know the Everlasting Dream Wishing Stone doesn't work on bosses…"
"But boss clones…"
He gritted his teeth.
"…don't tell me it only works for a short time…"
Slowly, Lam Huy Trường raised Magnum V.
Aimed straight at the Clone in front of him.
Blue light pulsed beneath the black metal—
slow.
Heavy.
Like a countdown.
But the Clone—
didn't attack.
It just stood there.
Watching.
And one beat later—
all the Clones near the cocoon…
turned toward him at once.
The cocoon trembled—
this time, clearly.
No longer vague.
A real movement.
Streams of red electricity spread outward.
They crawled across the ground—
slipping through cracks, gliding over flesh, piercing through debris.
Spreading.
Silently.
Like a tightening net.
No escape.
Then—
they stopped.
Right beneath his feet.