Chapter 1: Tentacle Killer

Chu Hengkong opened his eyes and found himself in a strange summoning ritual.

A dim candlelight flickered in the chamber. Blood and ink flowed through the carved marks onto the ground, forming a three-fold, nested magic circle. White-robed figures stood around the circle, their thin, pale forms resembling humanoid worms. The worms' leader wore a purple pendant and held a large silver tome. His voice was remarkably resonant, his chant resembling thunder:

"Hear my call. Compiler of the Scroll of the Original Spirit! Master of the wisdom of the abyss! Great Demonic Eye, Touch of Exploration..."

The titles that followed, each longer than the last, resembled some otherworldly challenge. Chu Hengkong silently memorized them while idly observing his surroundings. There was nothing else to do at this moment, as he seemed to have yet to "appear"—he could only sense but not move, his perspective fixed at the center of the triple circle, as if compressed into a thin sheet of paper.

There were 13 of them, dressed in defenseless white robes, most armed with cold weapons like daggers, clubs, and spears. Their posture was unprofessional, resembling the private soldiers of a folk religious sect. The surrounding area was small, with only a door ten meters ahead for entry and exit, leaving them with nowhere to escape.

Not a threat.

By the time Chu Hengkong had reached his conclusion, the summoner's challenge had finally come to an end. His face had turned the color of liver, but he persisted, forcing the last breath from his lungs with all his willpower. "...Master of the mysterious and all-knowing God! Grant us wisdom with your sacred runes and redeem this hopeless world!"

The long chant ended, the summoning ritual complete. The great silver book soared into the air, its blank pages rapidly turning. Though merely turning pages, it triggered a roaring, whistling sound. A veritable storm swirled within the chamber, blowing not only the heavy iron candlesticks but also the thirteen believers. They watched as the magic circle within the storm turned to a dusky yellow. From the twilight, an indescribable being emerged, radiating the first rays of light that marked the arrival of a great being upon the world of Shendong!

“Here…he’s descending!” The great wizard Alex roared excitedly, “The gods have descended!!”

Despite being blown around by the storm, the fanatics still tried their best to keep their eyes open and greet the god's honor with piety. They gradually grasped the indescribable great body: the left arm shining with mysterious silver light, the skin with an unsettling flesh color, the monotonous green coat, the hair as dark as the night, and the face as calm as the moon...

The appearance of the Lord God truly surpassed human imagination. One fanatic couldn't help but exclaim:

"...Why do you look like a human?"

Then the dusk within the magic circle receded, and the violent wind died down. The fanatics scattered throughout the room, clattering to the ground. Screams of "Gah!" and "Quack!" echoed in succession. Alex, having flown the highest, fell the hardest. Upon landing, he immediately caught the silver book and was about to roar at the intruder when he paused. "No! Look!"

The fanatics' eyes converged on one point, their expressions as uncertain and bewildered as the great wizard's. Chu Hengkong ignored their reactions and let out a long sigh of relief. His body and senses, which had been lost for a while, returned, and he could move freely again. The difference was like going from a paper figure to a three-dimensional person with flesh and blood. The contrast was like being reborn.

It's always a good thing to be able to move around, but the current problem is...

He slowly shifted his gaze, looking at the same place as the stunned fanatics. Everyone's eyes converged on the area below Chu Hengkong's left sleeve, where a silver, slender, and slimy piece of hair was exposed.

tentacle.

Chu Hengkong quickly rolled up his left sleeve and saw that the silver color had spread from the end of his limb all the way to his shoulder. The part below the shoulder that was once called "left arm" was now completely a thin strip. This sudden and wonderful change shocked him for a full second.

Why the hell did my arm become like this?!

It was a tentacle, a tentacle from every angle. It had no fingers, no bones, let alone joints, yet it moved. All I could sense was a mass of flexible, boneless "muscle" moving, not in the normal way of stretching and contracting, but rather in a wriggling motion, the kind of "wriggling" that insects use when they stretch their bodies and rush forward for a long stretch... And there was a sticky secretion at the tip! With any more movement, the mucus swished like snot!

This was precisely why the fanatics were so confused and perplexed. They all suspected this was some unlucky creature who had intruded into the summoning ritual, yet he possessed that incomparably beautiful Great Touch. Perhaps the omniscient God's aesthetic standards differed from those of foolish humans, and he chose to shape his body into this state?

Under such hesitation, no one dared to act rashly for a while. At this time, Chu Hengkong raised his tentacles, and the fanatics held their breath, thinking that if it was really the deity that had descended, then this would be its first oracle.

"So ugly!" Chu Hengkong exclaimed.

This heartfelt statement caused everyone's demeanor to change drastically, their expressions ferocious and their eyes fierce, as if they were being publicly addressed by their own mother. The next moment, the great wizard Alex roared, "How dare you insult the Lord God! Kill this fool who intruded on the ritual and use his flesh and blood to sacrifice to the God's tentacles!"

The fanatics all drew their weapons, the fierceness in their eyes turning into murderous intent. Intrusions were a common summoning hazard, and they had already made plans. If the god couldn't fully descend, they would kill the intruder immediately and use the partially descended body of the god for a second summon.

At this moment, the three closest to Chu Hengkong attacked simultaneously. The one in front raised his crossbow to fire, the burly believer on the right lunged with a spear, and the one behind him drew a dagger and stabbed Chu Hengkong in the back. They deliberately avoided the tentacles and aimed at the vital parts of the body, without the slightest hesitation about killing.

At the same time, a silver light flashed in everyone's eyes.

The silver light descended from the sky like strange lightning, spreading through the crowd in a dazzling ring. The three who had taken the initiative were sent flying backwards upon contact with the ring, and the fanatics' breaths stopped.

They saw the true face of the silver ring. It was a tentacle raised high and then slashed down, with speed as fast as lightning and power as huge as a wave. Three adults were sent flying by the mere touch, and the tentacle had not yet stopped spinning, its range even extending!

The silver tentacles were highly flexible, their length increasing dramatically as their power increased. This range was more than enough to strike everyone in the chamber, and the fanatics quickly used their weapons to protect their heads and other vital parts. However, Chu Hengkong ducked, crouching on one leg, and spun a second time, striking at everyone's lower body, a silver trail sweeping across the room.

This was arguably the longest sweeping kick in history, with a staggering radius of five meters. The fanatics were instantly sent flying. They had never imagined that humans could possess such immense strength, enough to sweep thirteen adult men away with a single hand. This time, however, they couldn't land easily, as the tentacle continued to swirl.

Chu Hengkong straightened his body, and the swirling tentacles gained height as a result. He was like a madman throwing a hammer in a closed room, the rapid acceleration turning the tentacles into extremely powerful blunt weapons. For a moment, the sound of heavy blows hitting flesh was endless, and a silver whirlwind was set off in the closed room!

When the whirlwind died down, only one person remained. The Great Wizard Alex stood pressed against the chamber's wall, a large silver book in one hand and an amethyst pendant in the other. The sturdy book acted as a shield, shielding him from the tentacles' lashes, while the amethyst pendant enhanced his perception, allowing him to clearly see his enemies' movements.

Alex seized the moment when the attack paused and leaped from the enemy's right. He released the pendant and grasped a pitch-black staff instead. This was Black Sha Stone, mined from a distant volcano, renowned for its exceptional hardness; even steel doors would groan under its blows. From this angle, the tentacles wouldn't be able to rush to his aid immediately; he needed to seize the opportunity to strike his enemy dead.

His palm froze in mid-air as another powerful force intercepted and struck. It was Chu Hengkong's instep! His right leg shot up like a dragon soaring into the air, a fierce kick that instantly sent the cane flying. The overwhelming force cracked the cane's surface, shattering it into a haze of fragments.

Chu Hengkong took advantage of the situation and slammed his leg down, his heel hitting Alex's shoulder. The great wizard was knocked to the ground by this blow. He looked up and saw the young man bathed in black dust, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

"Who are you?" Alex's voice trembled.

The young man delivered the final blow with his tentacles and shrugged at the unconscious wizard.

"My name is Chu Hengkong, and I'm a killer."

(End of this chapter)