Chapter 161 Elemental Controller-Pirate Legends of Online Games(Lost Leaf)

Murong Shanshan looked nervously at every blade of grass and tree in the forest and whispered, "I think we'd better leave this place. If we stay any longer, I really won't dare to sleep alone in my room tonight."

"That's a good idea."

I wiped the sweat from my palms and pulled Murong Shanshan, preparing to run away, but right at that moment, an unexpected change occurred!

A thick tentacle suddenly burst out from the ground beneath our feet. By the time I reacted, one of Murong Shanshan's legs was already tightly bound by the tentacle. What shocked me even more was that Murong Shanshan's health bar was plummeting at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"Damn it, what is going on?"

Murong Shanshan said in a panic, "I don't know either, but I received a message that I am under a nature magic attack, and the attacker is a monster called the 'Element Controller'. Look and see where it is!"

I looked around, but there was nothing there.

"This is bad. If this keeps up, I'm definitely going to bite the dust here!" Murong Shanshan drank a health recovery potion and said anxiously.

Feeling completely helpless, I said despondently, "If all else fails, I'll help you pay this month's party dues. Rest in peace!"

"You still have the heart to joke at a time like this!" Murong Shanshan said reproachfully. At that very moment, the tentacle around her leg gradually faded away; it seemed the skill's duration had expired.

"What's happening?" I was somewhat bewildered. But just as I finished speaking, a tentacle instantly bound me firmly to the ground. The system's combat logs flashed rapidly:

You are attacked by the Element Controller's nature magic, losing 150 health!

Losing 150 health points every two seconds or so—this was outrageous! Even an iron man would be sucked dry!

Murong Shanshan looked around calmly and asked, "Did you see anything just now?"

"See what?" I asked in surprise.

"I'm not sure if it was it," Murong Shanshan's voice was very tense, "but just now I clearly sensed a fluctuation across from us, as if the air had been instantly distorted."

"Whether it was or not, just keep your eyes open and spot it clearly the next time it attacks!"

"Okay."

Murong Shanshan's voice had just trailed off when a tentacle firmly bound her as well. But at that exact instant, I saw the grass ahead sway gently, suddenly shifting shape as if refracted through a lens.

"Right at 45 degrees north!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"I see it..."

Several deep blue radiances flowed rapidly across Murong Shanshan's Hanguang Sword. A second later, the Hanguang Sword emitted a dazzling glare. Murong Shanshan unleashed an unstoppable, highly destructive level-6 sword Qi that slashed down from above. In an instant, dust flew everywhere, and the shrubs within a dozen yards ahead were thoroughly reduced to ashes like dry weeds and smashing rotten wood. Amidst the smoke, a gray figure fell heavily backward.

The bold characters "Element Controller" floated right above this gray entity's head, and the tentacles around Murong Shanshan's feet vanished instantly.

"Shanshan, look at what this thing is?" I pointed at the monster before us, feeling a mix of amusement and bewilderment.

Strictly speaking, this should be a humanoid monster because it had two legs capable of upright walking and a relatively complete head. However, its limbs were entirely covered by thick vegetation. Even after taking the full brunt of Murong Shanshan's powerful sword Qi attack, the vegetation hadn't been sliced open; instead, it had caused the creature to fall to the ground, revealing two fangs beneath the flora.

Murong Shanshan studied it for a long time before uttering, "Take it back to the National Security Bureau for autopsy and analysis!"

My jaw almost dropped to the ground. Speechless, I said, "This isn't a boss, nor is it an ordinary monster. It should be an NPC... Wait, an NPC that can talk?!"

"Then why waste breath on it? Let's just finish it off."

The Element Controller looked utterly terrified and cried out, "Don't, please! I've never harmed anyone!"

"It can talk?" Murong Shanshan and I exchanged bewildered glances.

The Element Controller continued, "I'm not a monster. I was originally just an ordinary human, but my village was destroyed two years ago."

"This might be a quest. Let it keep talking," Murong Shanshan said happily.

The Element Controller's hollow eyes looked us over, and after confirming we harbored no hostility, it spoke: "Two years ago, a drunkard from this village slept on the mountain for a night. When he returned to the village the next day, a bizarre thing happened—every single poultry and livestock animal in the village had vanished. The villagers searched for over ten days with no results, until eventually, a pungent, foul stench began wafting from the drunkard's house..."

"What happened?" Murong Shanshan asked with great interest.

"Inside the drunkard's house, everyone found the carcasses of all the poultry and livestock. They had all been drained of blood until they died and were already starting to decompose. But the drunkard was nowhere to be found. Everyone assumed the drunkard had stolen these animals and fled because of it, causing the animals to die, so nobody paid it much mind until the day someone noticed the drunkard had returned to the village..."

The Element Controller let out a breath and said, "Someone was bitten by the drunkard. The scene that day was truly terrifying! The drunkard was long past looking human—heaven knows how he managed to stay alive after losing an arm. His temperament was extremely volatile, and he wantonly attacked all the villagers. Later, Silver Moon City dispatched a squad of priests to provide reinforcements, saying the drunkard had been infected with necromantic magic and must be burned to completely resolve the issue."

I asked in surprise, "Did they burn him?"

"They burned him," the Element Controller said with lifeless eyes. "But nobody could have imagined that the few villagers bitten by the drunkard would actually undergo corpse transformation on that terrifying night. Overnight, they bit to death all the dozen or so priests sent by Silver Moon City. The villagers panicked greatly, and many rumored that the drunkard had been wounded on the mountain by a black-robed mage, meaning the entire village was bound to be overrun by the undead. So, people began to flee. However, quite a few able-bodied young men chose to stay behind to eradicate these evil zombies, only to realize later that these zombies were simply not something they could handle."

Murong Shanshan's mouth hung open in astonishment as she asked, "What happened next?"

"Later, the village turned into a stronghold for the undead. Many who managed to escape wanted to return to check on their loved ones, but almost all of them perished at the hands of their own family members. Because Silver Moon City had to fight the regular armies of the undead on the western front, it was completely impossible to spare too many forces to purify this already polluted village. Thus, a mage squad of only fifty people was dispatched to this village."

The Element Controller wore a look of sorrow, prompting me to ask, "This mage squad must be related to you, right?"

"I was the captain of this squad. A team of a full fifty people was completely wiped out within three days. I was the only one in the entire team who escaped the village, but I was also infected by the undead toxin. I never imagined I would be bitten by a small child..."

The Element Controller gently lifted the vegetation on its left hand, revealing the shocking wounds on its green skin beneath!

"Then how did you manage to survive? Didn't they say that once infected with the toxin, there's no way to live?"

The Element Controller gave a desolate smile, "I thought I was going to die too. At the time, my mind was already becoming hazy; I knew that was the effect of the toxin taking hold, and then I felt an intense urge to sleep. I clearly knew that if I fell asleep, I would truly turn into an undead zombie, but I couldn't suppress that wave of sleepiness. In desperation, I frantically ate a kind of blue grass in the forest, using its bitterness to stimulate myself. In the end, a miracle happened—I actually survived!"

Murong Shanshan pointed in astonishment at the Element Controller's body and whispered, "So that's why you turned out like this?"

"At first, I thought this grass had cured the toxin in my body, but later I realized that the toxicity of this grass is far more terrifying than the undead toxin. Not only did it neutralize the undead toxin in my body, but it also twisted my physique into this half-human, half-monster appearance. What brings me comfort is that it also bestowed upon me the miraculous power of natural elements. Throughout these days, I've clearly felt my magic power continuously strengthening, and those damned green vines have also shown signs of receding!"

The Element Controller's expression darkened abruptly again as it said, "However, the mission assigned to me by the Mage Guild can no longer be completed. My current magic power is simply insufficient to contend with those terrifying zombies. Are you willing to help me finish this mission?"

"Ding~!"

System Notification: Do you wish to accept the party quest — The Element Controller's Entrustment?

Murong Shanshan and I had been anticipating this quest for a long time, so naturally, there was no reason to refuse.

Quest Accepted: Eradicate all undead creatures in the village, kill the Zombie King, and obtain his fangs!

The Element Controller said with relief, "This way, I can finally rest at ease. This is the Adventurer's Guild bounty token; it will record the progress of your quest completion. Once you finish the quest, you can go to the Adventurer's Guild to claim your reward! Also, I have one more favor to ask of you. Ever since I was infected with the toxin, I've been recording the formulas for the antidote and the toxin, but unfortunately, during a heavy rainy night a few days ago, my notes were snatched away by a group of zombies. I can no longer remember the formulas clearly. Can you help me retrieve them? There are a total of 12 pages!"

Murong Shanshan hurriedly pulled out the piece of paper we had obtained earlier and asked, "Is this it?"

"Yes, that's it! Please gather them all for me, and I will reward you handsomely!"

The page was marked with the number 8, so it should be the eighth page.