The black sun hangs high

Chapter 10 From the Inside Out
In Vaan’s extremely complex and chaotic magical ecosystem, shapeshifters are a very special kind of creature.

Their fragile bodies, harsh living conditions, and need for magic caused them to disappear from Vaan at one time. Generally speaking, these creatures could only survive in the cold lakes north of the Kingdom of Delan.

Shapeshifters are purely magical creatures.

Their bodies are made of magical mucus and water, and their characteristics are even very close to those of pure elemental creatures.

However, compared to those elemental creatures that possess consciousness and can pose a real threat, shapeshifters lack ways to protect themselves. Their exaggerated growth cycle and soft, fragile bodies often cause them to die suddenly at some point. During their decades-long infancy, even an infant could easily kill them unintentionally.

However, once the shapeshifters successfully pass through their juvenile stage, they will reveal another side of themselves.

This is what Hugh sees now.

Its size increases to the point that it can devour and engulf an adult.

Their bodies, made of mucus, are filled with more magic, enough to support their rapid movement on the ground.

They are stealthy and incredibly fast, and the gaps in buildings and underground pipes will become their paradise. Garbage, corpses, or any other waste will become their nourishment.

However, if that were all, the Shapeshifter would still not be on the Law Council's banned list. Its most dangerous aspect as a magical creature is its ability to "learn".

From appearance to language to habits... given enough time and conditions, the shapeshifter can reveal its true talent.

Imitate the target, devour the target, and completely replace it.

Once it reaches this stage, only the spellcasters can discern the truth.

As Hugh watched the bizarre sludge gradually transform into a human shape, his heart began to race. He took a deep breath and then slowly took a step back.

As if mimicking his movements, the limp humanoid figure "standing" at the top of the stairs also moved slowly as Hugh's body moved slightly, but it was not moving backward, but rather moving forward with difficulty.

It looked like a physically disabled person trying to walk down the stairs.

With such a limp body, it was naturally impossible to move freely. Therefore, the soft body that had transformed into human form took only one step before it seemed to fall and rolled down the stairs. The water bottle that Hugh had placed on the stairs was instantly wrapped inside the shapeshifter's slime-like body. It collided with other debris inside the body, and the water in the bottle spilled out, but in an instant, it merged with the body.

Hugh acted the instant the shapeshifter fell; instead of risking casting a spell, he sprinted toward the gate.

The shapeshifter clearly realized that its target was escaping, so the moment it rolled down the stairs, it abandoned its imitation of human form and reverted to an amorphous, viscous mass of liquid. Protrusions made of mucus extended from its body, forming many different distorted limbs, some resembling human hands and feet, others more like the claws of wild beasts, and even two appendages that only insects possess!
As these differently shaped limbs moved, a chilling sound immediately echoed in the hallway.

The fragmented and dense textures resembled countless hands patting and tapping the ground.

This is exactly the same sound that Hugh heard late last night in Mrs. Smalls Shopping Street.

This is an absolutely astonishing discovery.

Explosions, a pungent smell, noises in the shopping street, shapeshifters, the Legislative Council...

Among the many fragmented clues, a connection seemed to have been formed. However, Hugh was unable to calm down and think, because the speed at which the shapeshifting insect moved was too terrifying. In just an instant, the terrifying footsteps had caught up with Hugh. At the same time, a foul, rotten smell came from behind, raising Hugh's sense of crisis to the extreme.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Faced with his first life-or-death crisis since arriving in this strange world, the metal disc in Hugh's mental world began to spin at an unprecedented speed. Under the influence of magic, Hugh's senses and reactions became sharp and swift. He suddenly stopped and leaned to the side, barely avoiding the viscous liquid that was rushing towards him in an extremely awkward posture.

Immediately afterwards, the broken railing he had been holding slammed down in front of him.

"puff!"

It was like hitting a soft bag full of water; the unpleasant sensation was accompanied by a dull thud. But Hugh did not stop what he was doing. Facing the viscous liquid that he had knocked to the ground, Hugh decisively raised his hand again, and the heavy wooden stick came down again, striking one of the shapeshifter's extended limbs heavily.

Such a violent counterattack was clearly beyond the shapeshifter's expectations. It flailed its twisted limbs erratically, but Hugh's wooden stick slammed down again and again, splashing slime and water everywhere. Many debris even fell out of the shapeshifter's body during the impact.

Hugh's heart was pounding.

He seemed tireless, roaring as he viciously swung his rough weapon. Just as another twisted, slimy limb was about to break apart under his blows, the viscous mass of liquid, which had been curled up, suddenly sprang up.

This time, Hugh clearly felt his power being absorbed.

When he tried to pull the stick back, he discovered that the shapeshifter's soft, translucent body had climbed onto his weapon and wrapped around it layer by layer.

The disgusting slime surged, and countless extended limbs reformed into one, as if swallowing food. This viscous, translucent substance rolled upwards along the stick, about to engulf Hugh's right hand that was holding the stick!
Left with no other choice, Hugh had to release his weapon. Then he saw a cheap landscape painting hanging on the wall next to him. He gritted his teeth, took the frame off, and with a whooshing sound, the heavy frame slammed into the shapeshifter's body, shoving back the slime that was already reaching towards Hugh.

The series of violent movements had already made Hughes pant heavily.

Whether in his past life or this one, he seems to have never been blessed with a strong and healthy body.

A frantic heartbeat, rapid breathing, and trembling limbs were already warning Hugh that his body could no longer withstand direct force. Hugh tried to take a step toward the door, but the shapeshifter was faster. Its soft, amorphous body quickly extended, stretching itself into a long strip and completely blocking Hugh's path.

"Looks like there's no other way..."

Hugh gritted his teeth, raised his left hand, and the copper-green light and shadow permeating the grooves of the magic disc began to tremble violently, while the tentacle patterns engraved in the grooves also became active.

The throbbing pain that had appeared before filled Hugh's left hand, and at the same time, the incredibly thirsty shapeshifter suddenly stirred its soft body, and a large clump of mucus suddenly sprang up, tightly wrapping Hugh's outstretched left hand.

Intense tingling and stinging sensations instantly acted on Hugh's left hand. Under the influence of the viscous fluid, Hugh could no longer even feel the swelling and pain caused by the magic filling his left hand. He gritted his teeth and completely relaxed his control over the magic.

The next instant, a terrifying shock erupted from the shapeshifter's fluid-like body. Hugh saw dark-colored tentacles burst forth from his left palm. With a series of muffled thuds, the disgusting sludge that had been coiled in front of Hugh was easily torn apart by the thick and powerful black tentacles. As for the sludge that clung to Hugh's left palm and wrist, it was easily swept away by these tentacles.

Adult shapeshifters are vigorous and resilient. Although they suffered a devastating blow at first, many slime fragments that still retained some vitality fell to the ground. They twisted and turned, trying to squeeze into the nearest cracks in the walls and the ground.

"You actually think you can escape?"

Hugh, who had successfully defeated the enemy, was already bloodthirsty. The magical tentacles that he had summoned immediately became active. They swung rapidly, just as Hugh had seen in the dream world. A layer of tough keratin grew from their tips, which transformed the originally flexible tentacles into sharp daggers. These sharp and powerful tentacles then began to swing on their own. Like ospreys searching for prey, they kept stabbing down towards the ground, piercing through the scattered fragments of shapeshifting insects in the blink of an eye.

"Clap!"

As the last piece of the shapeshifting insect's remains, which was trying to escape, was crushed by Hugh's foot, his magic power was completely exhausted. The black tentacles that were incredibly fierce just a second ago immediately withered. In the blink of an eye, they "fell" from Hugh's palm, twitched and bounced slightly on the ground, and then immediately became shriveled.

Hugh sat down against the wall, panting heavily as he watched the black tentacles he had summoned with magic rapidly dissolve into the air...

Hughes is in much better condition now than after the last time he cast the spell.

However, the severe emotional fluctuations, the series of violent movements, and the large consumption of magic and spirit still rendered Hugh unable to move for a short period of time. Looking at the chaotic hallway and corridor, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

The smell of a killed shapeshifter is rather unpleasant.

It smelled like food that had gone bad and was rotting, but now the smell actually made Hugh feel good. He looked around at the scattered "spoils of war" and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

After a short rest, Hugh finally recovered. He glanced at the clock on the wall and then struggled to his feet from the mess, leaning against the wall for support.

According to the female monk from yesterday, the people from the Dharma Committee will be visiting him today, and before that, he needs to cover up the traces in his home as soon as possible.

As for the scattered remains of the shapeshifting insects... in Hugh's eyes, this was a completely unexpected delight.

He remembered seeing related "conditions" when he was wandering around in the dream world before.

"Get moving, get moving..."

He muttered to himself, then wearily walked into the depths of the foyer.

……

Hugh's cleaning continued until the afternoon. He spent a lot of effort to finally clean up the mess left by the shapeshifters—at least superficially.

As for the magical cleanup, Hugh could only do his best.

There are some dried leaves of the ash grass in the old house. This grass has a wide range of distribution and uses. Whether it is the upper class or the lower class, they all like to burn ash grass to drive away the odor in the air. According to popular belief, the smoke from burning ash grass can also disrupt the magic in the air, thus driving away many annoying magical creatures and erasing the traces they leave behind.

In addition, many artists are obsessed with this grass, believing that smelling the smoke from burning ash grass can enhance inspiration and strengthen the connection with the god of art or the god of writing.

"As a third-rate writer who earns money by writing, it's normal for me to keep some asparagus at home, right?"

As Hugh muttered to himself, he walked through every corner of the house with a lit piece of ash grass. Soon, the unpleasant smell brought by the shapeshifters was completely dispelled, and the old house was filled with smoke. Hugh had to open the windows to let out the excess smoke.

Hughes handled the debris mixed in with the shapeshifters very carefully. He collected all of it in a box and took it to the abandoned garden behind the old house, burying it along with the three large bottles of shapeshifter remains in a bush.

Everything is ready.

Just after Hugh changed into clean clothes, there was a knock on the door of the old house. Hugh tidied his appearance and hair, calmed his emotions and mindset, and slowly walked to the door and opened it.

A deep voice immediately squeezed in from the half-open door.

"The Legislative Affairs Commission is visiting you in accordance with Investigative Order No. 6."

…………

Despite being extremely cautious and a complete homebody, I still inevitably got sunburned.

Right now, it feels like my brain is having a variety show, and the most prominent issue is pain.
I will try my best to keep updating during the new book period, and I hope everyone can vote, share, and support me. Thank you so much! ORZ
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(End of this chapter)