Unfortunately, the flames weren’t hot enough to flash‑evaporate all the water inside the Sludge Monsters.

Worse, rain kept falling. The scorched lumps on the ground soaked up moisture, then writhed back to life and flung themselves at the defensive wall.

Looking downslope, the thick black slurry stretched beyond sight; the hill seemed a lone island about to be swallowed by a raging sea.

The rainy night was clammy and cold. A rank, fish‑rot stench saturated the damp air—like dead fish festering in sewage—so oppressive it seemed to squeeze the breath from her lungs.

Maybe nerves—maybe not—but Luo Wei, staring at the runes on the stone wall, suddenly saw the blocks liquefy into oozing black chocolate syrup, slowly dribbling downward.

She poked the wall with her wand. Solid. Not melted.

Realizing the vision was false, it snapped away; the stone wall was just stone, perfectly intact.

Outside, the fire still burned. The Sludge Monsters couldn’t break through for the moment. Luo Wei forced herself calm and sorted her thoughts.

Wrong. Very wrong.

She considered herself rational. Not claiming perfect clarity, but she wouldn’t confuse imagination with reality over mere tension.

That hallucination felt like a negative status—a debuff applied to her.

In games, such effects are common: a debuffed player feels fatigued, weak, slowed; attacks misfire.

Conveniently—or inconveniently—Monsters are exactly the kind of beings that impose debuffs. Their dark aura can induce nervous collapse, mental languor, bodily maladies, visual and auditory hallucinations.

But that’s a capability of real Monsters. How would simulated Monsters in the arena— Wait. What if they weren’t simulated?

What if they were real Monsters?

Everything instantly fit.

Luo Wei stared at the endless surge of Sludge Monsters beyond the wall and finally felt the situation was truly thorny.

She’d already been cautious knowing they would face Monsters tonight, yet still overlooked the possibility the professors would release genuine ones.

Had she not considered Monster traits while setting defenses—instinctively leaving a buffer distance—their hallucinations would likely already be far worse.

So many Monsters; the dark aura would only intensify. The more they were tainted by it, the worse their condition would spiral.

Once they lost the capacity to resist, the Monsters would smash through, polluting the hilltop territory in short order.

Fortunately she’d prepared a second plan. It was supposed to be a last resort—after stamina and mana were nearly gone. She’d have to trigger it early.

Luo Wei hesitated—should she tell her teammates these Sludge Monsters were real?

After weighing pros and cons, she chose silence.

The sharp ones would figure it out. Those who wouldn’t might panic if told.

Sometimes a lie is protection; ignorance can be a kind of bliss.

Decision made, she swiftly lit every rune on the wall, then raised her wand, murmured a chant, and fired two fireballs into the sky.

They had agreed on the code:

One fireball: emergency—heightened vigilance.

Two fireballs: danger—send support.

Three fireballs: breach—switch to the Second Plan.

Of the five on Siria’s team, four were manning the perimeter. Only Hol by the mud house could reinforce.

Two fireballs rose. All four teammates looked up.

The battle had barely started and someone was already faltering?

Hol tracked the direction and frowned. “There? How?”

Luo Wei’s mana was strong enough to solo a saw‑beaked vulture. How could she be struggling so soon?

Perplexed, he still headed over immediately.

From a distance he saw her slender, straight figure beside the low fort, radiating calm resolve—nothing like someone needing aid.

“Miss Luo Wei?” Hol called as he approached.

Luo Wei turned, her grave gaze settling on him. “Hol, we may have a problem.”

“What problem?” He advanced a few steps; as he neared the wall his brows knit and he instinctively looked outward.

Beyond the burning barrier, the Sludge Monsters’ black bodies twisted in the heat, like the bubbling black potion pulp he’d boiled in his iron pot.

The scene didn’t shake him—yet something was off: he sensed dark elements gathering around them.

Simulated Monsters—attuned to dark elements?

Hol’s pupils tightened. He snapped his head toward Luo Wei. “Monsters?”

He added quickly, “I mean—are they real Monsters?”

Those with dark element affinity sense Monsters more keenly than ordinary mages.

Luo Wei nodded. “You noticed too.”

“They’re real…” Hol murmured, glancing back at the hillside, black slurry still roiling.

Only now did he realize he’d been hallucinating.

How could ugly Monsters resemble his potion mash? His potions were fragrant and delicious—these things stank!

Noting the shift in his expression, Luo Wei said steadily, “Now you see why I called you?”

Talking to a smart person saved time. Hol answered at once, “You want me to check whether the others are affected?”

“Exactly. If they’re hallucinating, wake them. I’m getting ready to open the teleportation array.”

“In this situation, activating it is the safest move,” Hol agreed, then hesitated. “If they haven’t realized the truth… do I tell them?”

“What do you think?” Luo Wei asked back.

Hol thought a beat. “No need. Knowing just adds worry.”

Luo Wei smiled. “Same conclusion. Go check them. If everyone’s stable, we open the array.”

“Understood.”

He pivoted and sprinted to the other fort points.

You don’t know until you look—then you’re startled.

None of the remaining three were normal. Jack had hallucinated a whole mountain of black bread. Gladys saw a vast pack of man‑eating brown bears.

Axina was slightly better—barely.

Her difference from the first two: Jack and Gladys were itching to break formation—grab bread or slay bears. Axina didn’t move.

She stood motionless in the rain, ambitious eyes surveying the slope below, a bizarre smile on her face.

“Axina? Axina?” Hol waved a hand before her eyes.

Axina slanted him a proud glance. “Foolish subject. You should address me as Queen.”

Hol: …

He whipped out his iron pot and smacked her on the head with the bottom.

“Wake up—stop dreaming!”

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