Everyone Is A Lord: My Talent Is A Little Too Strong Chapter 2573: 1418: Memories of the Old Wandering Poet (Part 2)

"However, just as our group was brimming with hope, having traveled barely a hundred meters and not yet reaching the ruins' entrance, a terrifying and unforeseen transformation took place."

At this moment, Old Nick swallowed hard, his frame once again shuddering violently. He was clearly reliving a nightmare, his lips even taking on a sickly bluish-purple hue.

Noticing this, Leo Ray promptly directed Xiaoyue to use her healing abilities; after a moment, the old man finally regained his composure.

"I am grateful, Your Majesty!"

Old Nick offered a respectful bow to Leo Ray, though his eyes soon drifted back into a dazed state.

"Without any warning, a nearby subterranean river began to churn violently, looking as if it had reached a boiling point in an instant."

"Before we could even process what was happening, the once-clear water turned murky with a frantic bubbling, as if massive amounts of silt and sand had been dumped into the current."

"Then, something truly horrifying occurred. The muddy water thickened further, beginning to twist and coalesce with an unnatural rhythm, as though it were gestating some form of life."

"The transformation was incredibly rapid, finished in the blink of an eye. By the time I recovered from my shock, the writhing sludge began a strange crystallization process, quickly smoothing out until it looked like polished marble or the skin of a newborn."

Old Nick’s complexion grew even more pallid, and he shivered as he continued his tale.

"As that eerie fluid twisted and crystallized, countless terrifying brown spheres began to manifest in the air, each one taking a distinct shape!"

"These brown orbs were roughly the size of a human skull, possessing surfaces that were incredibly flat and smooth. Their bodies were semi-transparent, with brown liquid or currents of brown Qi surging wildly within them."

"Through the churning internal fluids, one could faintly see strange crystal clusters vibrating rhythmically in the center like organs. This left no doubt that these bizarre entities were some kind of terrifying and enigmatic life forms."

Bathed in the gentle golden radiance of Xiaoyue’s magic, Old Nick trembled while gulping down his tea. Shaking, he added, "To put it simply, those things looked like... like..."

"Like some kind of grotesque eyeballs?"

Before Old Nick could finish his sentence, Grey Elder blurted out the question, asking, "Old Nick, did they resemble bizarre eyeballs hovering in the air?"

"Chairman, how could you possibly know?!"

Old Nick froze in surprise for a moment before nodding repeatedly in confirmation. "That is exactly right! They looked just like strange eyeballs!"

"Your Majesty, could this be..."

Once Old Nick confirmed the description, Grey Elder turned toward Leo Ray, his aged face etched with gravity.

During the conflict at the Dragon Nest, whether it was the possessed puppet dragons or the foes Old Nick was now describing, those entities had left a permanent mark on the old chairman, who had stood by Leo Ray’s side in battle.

After all, those relentless enemies had nearly pushed their forces to the point of total annihilation during that encounter.

"Indeed. Though the color and the location are different, this is undoubtedly ‘The Corrosion.’"

Leo Ray nodded slowly, confirming the suspicion that weighed on Grey Elder’s mind.

Upon hearing those words, not only Grey Elder but also Ariel Watson, Gael, and Kelsey—all of whom knew the history of that battle—gasped. Their expressions became incredibly grim.

Leo Ray exhaled a long, heavy breath and nodded toward Old Nick. "Your Excellency Nick, please go on."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Aware of the thickening tension in the room, Old Nick focused his will to steady his mind and dove back into his memories.

"The number of those strange brown eyes kept growing until they were densely packed. They caught our small group off guard and encircled us entirely. An overwhelming wave of hostility radiated from them, making us feel as if we had been cast into an ice cavern."

"Confronted by such sudden and bizarre foes, the mercenaries acted quickly despite their shock. They moved the little people and the archer to the center of the formation. Meanwhile, the two Tier 3 elite mercenaries let out a battle cry and charged forward with gritted teeth, attempting to hack out an escape route for the group."

"However, the events that followed left everyone there shaking with uncontrollable fear."

"Just as the two elites reached the brown eyes with their blades drawn, a burst of light erupted. Countless brown tendrils, resembling tentacles, suddenly exploded from the lower half of the entities, blotting out the sky."

"Moving with terrifying speed, those brown tendrils wrapped around the two elite mercenaries before they could even react, encasing them in massive cocoons."

"I must say, it was the most gruesome sight the little people had ever witnessed."

"Once the huge cocoons were sealed, the tendrils began to dance through the air in a frenzied, joyful rhythm. Each tentacle was covered in dark, intricate, and alien patterns. Watching them made the little people feel so dizzy they nearly fainted from terror. Some even felt a warm wetness running down their legs as they shook."

"Despite the horror, the little people forced themselves to stay conscious. Gritting their teeth, they joined the remaining mercenaries in a final desperate attack to save their comrades."

"But whether it was arrows, blades, or the little people’s elemental bullets, nothing could damage those terrifying foes. The enemies didn't even bother to strike back, as if they were merely toyed with like ants. Eventually, the two large cocoons withered away, leaving behind nothing but a pool of black liquid."

Old Nick’s body began to shake again, his teeth clenching as he continued.

"Soon, the other mercenaries were also seized by those frantic tendrils. The sound of hysterical screaming and the wet squelching of the tentacles filled the little people's ears until they were the only ones left standing."

"Just as the little people prepared for the tendrils to take them, the brown eyes suddenly halted, appearing bored with their previous method of slaughter."

"This time, as the eyes focused on the little people, a small white dot appeared on each of them, looking like pupils forming in dead eyes."

"The moment the little people looked into those eyes, a coldness like no other surged through their hearts, freezing their very blood. It was an absolute, bone-chilling terror. The strange eyes seemed to grow infinitely large while the little people felt themselves shrinking into nothingness, like tiny insects."

"It felt as though those eyes could see through everything. They seemed like supreme beings capable of crushing us at any moment—beings that viewed the little people with nothing but utter disdain and contempt..."

Old Nick began to tremble so violently that even the chair beneath him rattled loudly.

"That is enough, Lord Nick. You don't need to describe that sensation any further. You survived, and your courage is something to be proud of."

Leo Ray cut him off to offer comfort, then shared a meaningful look with Grey Elder.

The feeling Old Nick was describing was clearly that primal dread that goes beyond the fear of death.

Leo Ray remembered that exact sense of overwhelming trepidation from the Battle of the Dragon Nest.

Back then, even Tier 5 powerhouses and half-step Tier 6 experts like Louise were shaking so hard they could barely think. It was no wonder a Tier 2 Peak practitioner like Old Nick had been driven to madness by it.

But how did he actually escape the clutches of ‘The Corrosion’? And where did he encounter the term ‘The Cataclysm’?

As these questions crossed his mind, a look of confusion appeared on Leo Ray’s face.