MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

379  Hell of a Poison! Screams, the sound of flesh being torn apart, useless cries for mercy that would never come, and the echo of a civilization crushed by a sea of bugs. "Ah, how soothing!" Jack's murmur even scared his fellow prisoners. Soothing?! He called it bloody soothing?! No, the idea that he had orchestrated it all from a prison cell was infinitely more terrifying! Little did they know, the soothing sound he had referred to was one of notifications. [This Calamity Is All Your Fault!] [Indirectly killed Many guards…] [Indirectly Killed Civilians…] [A Noble Mermaid Died!] Wow! Talk about efficient! He didn't even have to raise a finger, and there were so many casualties! At this moment, he couldn't help but be proud of himself. [So Many Innocents Have Died…] [You Are Now Considered "Evil" In The Lake!] Was this supposed to be a punishment? Either way, he had no remorse whatsoever. After all, he was doing all this to save the world with the water pearl! Sure, he was only doing it to save his own faction and farm, but it had to count for something, right? Besides, the idiotic fishes were now reaping what they had sowed. It barely took a few minutes for most of the City's defenses to fall under the hungry creature's assault. The latter only wanted more "sweets," but none realized it. The whole process went as follows: Search for brown paste —> Eat the "snacks" blocking the way —> Keep Searching —> More "snacks" attacking for no reason —> Eat them too! It wasn't just a bloodbath; the Capital was menacing to fall entirely at this rate! Meanwhile kept smiling as he bade his time. "Woo!" (It's getting lively! What now?) "We wait. Some Cleaners will be coming our way soon." Jack replied. Their main target would be the treasury, but some would definitely smell the remnants of the brown paste on the two of them. — Rumble! — The entire castle was already shaking! But before they could arrive, someone else came crashing in, kicking the bloody dungeon door open. "Bastard! So what if it's the end of the world?! I'll skin you! I bet this whole goddamn thing's your fault!" It was the wannabe torturer, completely red in the face out of anger, and….was he freaking drunk?! That sure was quick as hell, given he had only been gone a few minutes! "Hehehe, say hello to my little friend!" He evilly chuckled as he shook a murky dark-purple vial, the liquid emanating a baleful aura. Oh god, no! Jack turned pale for the first time since his capture as he instantly recognized the potion. How the hell had a third-rate villain gotten his hands on something like that?! It wasn't logical at all! "Hehehe, come here!" The latter rushed toward him. Then ensued the saddest-looking yet deadliest fight ever. The fish guy was trying to force-feed Jack as he resisted with every fiber of his being, kicking with his hands tied. [Mana Restricted by Location!] [Physical Strength Lowered By Restraints!] [This System Doesn't Think Winning Is Possible…] Screw you! Jack ignored the warnings and kept fighting back. He even grabbed the now unconscious Pumpkin Girl to shield her from the vile substance. So what if he was fighting a losing battle? The opponent was already beginning to overpower him, but he still wouldn't give up! "H-how is he fighting back?!" "That's the Commander for you!" "You can do it, Commander. Kick his ass!" Many of the nearby prisoners couldn't help but rub their eyes in disbelief. He was sealed, so how the hell was he so slippery?! He was totally predicting his opponent's moves. But even for him, a miracle was impossible. The bastard finally managed to corner him, immobilizing him as he brought the venom to his lips. "Hehehe, drink up! Here's a toast for you!" As the vial titled forward, its evil energy spread throughout the room. What the heck was that stuff?! Even the people at the other end of the room could sense its baleful aura! The bottle titled in slow-motion, the liquid flowing straight toward the now helpless Jack. He was 100% screwed! [Kraken-Slaying Nightmare Poison Detected!] [Host's Mind in Danger! Initiating Logout!] [3…2…1….] Hell no! Cancel, cancel all that! Before the system had time to finish the process, Jack hurriedly put an end to the protective measure. So what if his mind would be in danger?! It wasn't his first time dealing with something like that! So what if drinking this thing felt worse than dying a thousand times?! He had to stay if only to stop the bastard from giving some to Pumpkin Girl! He could feel her warmth on his back, and he'd bloody protect her even if it was the last thing he did! 'Sleep well. I swear I'll bring you out of here. I'll—' But suddenly something happened! — SMACK! — "What?! You're awake?!" Out of nowhere, the "unconscious" Pumpkin Girl suddenly smacked the hell out of the vial! Had she been faking the whole time?!

The glass bottle was sent flying away, but some of the liquid came out. It was still heading straight for Jack! "I'll be damned if I allow you all to survive this!" The torturer shouted as he held Jack's head in place. He'd at least get him! But Pumpkin Girl was far from done! The always calm and gentle farmgirl seemingly went on a bloody rampage. What the hell?! She wasn't just angry. She was feral! She clawed at his face, stabbed his eyes, and even… bit him?! With her current wounded, bloodied appearance, she looked like a goddamn vampire! "Let. Him. Go!!!!" "You crazy bitch! Are you insane?!"

Meanwhile, Jack was trying his best to kick the man's crotch. Could the couple have fought dirtier than this…probably not! The bystanders kept wincing just seeing it! But it seemed everyone had underestimated the jailer. "Fuck you both! I'll bring you down, even if it's the last thing I do!" He took it all head-on, enduring as he kept a firm grasp on Jack's head. That's when a single droplet managed to reach Jack's mouth. He tried to spit it out, he tried to force himself to vomit, he tried everything but to no avail. The poison seemed to be bloody alive, the thing worming its way to his stomach. He could feel it reaching the very core of his being, felt its corruption as it settled down. "Hehehe, finally! This is what you get for calling me a third-rate torturer!" The villain triumphantly cackled as he threw Pumpkin Girl off him and let go of Jack. The latter fell to the ground as if a puppet with its strings cut. Yet, there was obviously something wrong with him, his entire body twitching! "H-He'll be fine, right?! It was only one drop…." A prisoner worried prisoner uttered. "Pfft, fine? What a joke! This thing even drove the mighty Kraken to madness! So what if it's only a drop? What do you think this single drop will do to a human!" The torturer was showing a victorious smile. He knew for a fact that the poison had a 570% mortality rate…the target and everyone else they'd kill after turning mad! On the ground, Jack couldn't stop convulsing: [Affected By Nightmare Poison!] [This Poison Terrifies Even Mythical Beings!] [Emergency Measure! Login Out to Protect User's Soul!] [3…2…1…] But the system's countdown was suddenly interrupted by a croak. The voice was so rough that it seemed to come from a demon itself. "Tch, dumb system, stop trying to log me out!" "W-what?! H-how?!" The shellshocked bystanders suddenly witnessed a sight that would forever burn itself in their retinas. Even as Jack kept twitching, he slowly but surely rose. At the moment, he looked like a bloody zombie, his feet unsteady, but his eyes filled with a bloody glow that nothing could seemingly extinguish. He struggled even to take a step, and yet his broken body emitted such an unyielding aura that he seemed to possess infinite strength. What the heck was this?! It didn't help that the seals all over the jail suddenly imploded a second later. The magic had mistaken the poison for Jack's power and tried to suppress it, only to fail gloriously. Anyone else would have been wriggling on the ground mad, but he slowly steadied his steps, a wooden piece appearing in his hands out of nowhere. He suddenly started humming…. and sculpting?! He was utilizing every mental resistance passive he possessed, but the whole thing looked ludicrous to others. Why??! Just why?! Was he sane or insane?! Was he still alive or only a puppet of the Nightmare Poison?! Who knew soft humming could be so intimidating?! But they weren't the only ones confronted with an unbelievable scene.

[Nightmares Are Haunting You!] [Good Luck Resisting!]

The entire world had changed for him.

The very water and air around him had become heavy as if replaced by tar. The people suddenly looked like monsters, their features turning slightly demonic at times. The space kept trembling, nightmarish illusions appearing all over the place. They were all fake, but their presence felt so real that he had to resist the urge to flee instantly. His entire world had become an eternal nightmare, even the most beautiful things reduced to putrid fakes that wanted to devour and slay him. Everything had turned scary and ugly. Everything was horrendous….actually no. As he glanced at Pumpkin Girl, she still appeared as beautiful as before, at least to him. She was looking at him with so much love, worried about him. She couldn't feel any of her own injuries, only his safety mattering to her. This right there was a gaze worth fighting for, worth dying for, worth resiting a nightmare for. Was this thing trying to turn him mad? As if! [Resisted Nightmare Poison?!] [Are You Really Human?!] He was technically a ghoul. Had the system turned stupid? Jack shrugged, not realizing that it was his IRL humanity that the system was questioning. Instead, he turned toward the opponent. "Now, where were we?" Gulp! Pumpkin Girl coming in with the clutch save! More than a drop of the liquid would have definitely killed me! As for why something so strong was appearing right now...who bloody knows! ClasslessAscension

Creator's Thought Nôv(el)B\\jnn