The Heartbeat of the Cruel Elves

——No! This can't be done!

Li Yin gritted his teeth, forced himself to stop imagining, grabbed the dark elf's arms tightly with both hands, and dragged his body forward.

The derivation of the formula has completely failed - not only can he not continue to deduce, but even the results he derived previously have all collapsed...

Damn it, I have to find another way. Li Yin tried hard to suppress his urge to eat, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead...

Otherwise, a strange idea suddenly popped up in his mind when he was at his wits' end: to use his own spear to attack his shield?

He is both a mind flayer and a ghoul. Can he use the fierce surge of these two instincts at this moment to make them fight against each other?

Specifically - the moment that thought came to his mind, the second thought naturally arose in his mind - if he wanted to eat, should he eat the body first or the brain first?

Head! Head! Immediately, a third thought burst out of his mind with joy.

Damn it—Li Yin cursed angrily. He forgot that the head is also a part of the body. To the ghouls, it is all food...

The needs of the mind flayer and the needs of the ghoul do not conflict...

Damn it, Li Yin cursed for the third time. He recalled his previous experience. He had killed dark elves before, and had come into close contact with the corpses of dark elves like this moment - the captain of the slave-hunting team.

But why was there no such reaction at that time?

Is it because I was running for my life, a matter of life and death? But wake up, now is also a matter of life and death!

Damn it - such hysterical cursing and the doubts gathered in his heart were useless. The hungry desire continued to gush out, almost swallowing him up completely.

Thank you to my classmate Shi Wuwo for the reward, and thank you all for the monthly tickets and recommendation votes.

Chapter 4: Mind Flayer Ghoul ()

He had stopped, unable to move forward, and all his strength was used to fight the twisted, intense desire in his body. His body was trembling, his teeth were chattering, and his completely tense body was hot and cold due to extreme endurance, like a patient with malaria.

Damn it! I can’t stand it anymore!

Just one—one—one bite!

His gums, which had been creaking and colliding with each other, slowly opened as wide as possible, and then—

Ah! — A suppressed scream rang out in the dark alley.

He bit his lips.

The severe pain made him slightly more sober. Blood flowed into his mouth through his broken lips - he was very glad that the ghouls didn't seem to be interested in his flesh and blood, otherwise this alone would probably drive him completely crazy.

Even if you can't help it, you have to endure it! Li Yin told himself viciously. With the glimmer of rationality that had just been summoned, he grabbed the corpse's arms again and continued to drag it forward. He was like a patient on the bed who subconsciously grabbed the edge of the bed to endure the severe pain of surgery. He grabbed the corpse's arms tightly, as if he wanted to crush them alive.

Because the unbearable hunger in his body became more intense. His body trembled more violently, and cold currents and heat waves surged alternately. Suddenly, a deep chill ran down his spine, and his pores tightened. Then, it was as if he had returned to the surface world, and in the scorching yellow sand and the scorching sun, his whole body was sweating like pulp...

In this desire that was almost bursting, in this rapid alternation of hot and cold, he forced himself to keep moving forward. With every step, he used all his strength, and with every step, he seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

However, he did not collapse after all - after taking a few steps, Li Yin gritted his teeth and told himself so. A faint joy rose in his heart. Be patient - you must be patient, his face flushed, his cheeks clenched, and he told himself in his brain that was burning like a furnace - he could do it.

He took the next step, and the feeling of being on the verge of limit came over him again. He tensed his body again, stretching it as hard as a piece of steel, suppressing the desire rudely in his body.

Then, in the next moment - in the extreme alternation between cold and heat, he suddenly felt his tense muscles relax, his steel-like body instantly softened, the extreme cold and heat also disappeared in an instant - all this was completely out of his control, he suddenly felt that he had lost control of his body - at this moment, this moment of complete loss of control, his body seemed to have a hole opened up, and an inexplicable thing flowed out of his body.

Li Yin stood there in a daze.

At the moment when that inexplicable thing flowed out, he seemed to suddenly feel much better.

He was no longer cold, nor hot, and even no longer hungry or thirsty. Instead, he felt unusually peaceful and stable, with a faint sense of - satisfaction?!

Before he could figure out what was going on, he suddenly felt his right hand become empty, while the weight on his left hand suddenly increased.

The incident happened suddenly, and before he could increase his strength, the dark elf's body slipped out of his control and fell to the ground with a thud.

Subconsciously, Li Yin was about to bend down and drag the corpse again.

However, at this moment, he was suddenly stunned - his eyes fell on one of the arms of the corpse - the arm was not complete, only half.

In an instant, a chill ran down his spine and his hair stood on end.

when did it happen?

He clearly remembered that he only crushed his head, so why was half of his hand missing?

He quickly raised his head, glanced left and right, then quickly turned his head and looked again. There was no one in the darkness.

However, he did not dare to slack off. He immediately turned around, leaned against a rock wall, used the rock to completely block his back, and then looked at both sides of the alley again.

Still no one showed up...

He suddenly remembered something, his expression changed, and he looked up at the rock wall -

There was still nothing above the towering rock wall.

Moreover, he suddenly realized that if the enemy could launch an attack from such a high place and accurately cut off the corpse's arm, then it could also kill his own head with the same accuracy.

The moment he understood this, Li Yin lowered his head with lingering fear, and then, he realized another point:

Even if it is not at such a high altitude, no matter where the enemy is, it can break the corpse's arm without anyone noticing, so it can also take off its own head.

So - what exactly is this?

The panic gradually dissipated, replaced by airtight doubts.

Suddenly, he noticed that on the ground, not far from the dark elf instructor's body, there was half an arm lying alone on a rock.

There is no doubt that this is Turner's half broken arm.

But... Li Yin suddenly noticed something unusual.

He glanced left and right in the alley again to make sure there was no one there. He walked quickly forward, picked up the arm, then walked to the body, squatted down, and lifted up the broken arm.

He aligned the two broken arms and closed them.

——The two halves of the arm cannot fit together perfectly. This is not because of the angle, but because the diameters of their broken ends are not consistent at all. In addition, the broken ends on both sides are not flat, but are concave inwards, forming an arc shape.

It was like... there was suddenly a piece missing in the middle of this arm.

But - Li Yin looked around again, and there were no other "parts" around.

More and more doubts surged into his eyes, but - only for a moment, a moment later, a gleam of light flashed across his magnificent pupils.

He raised the half-broken arm, placed it in front of his eyes, then closed his eyes slightly, as if recalling something.

He was recalling the strange moment just now: the tense muscles and tissues suddenly relaxed, the brain lost control of the body in an instant, the severe cold and heat disappeared in an instant, and an inexplicable thing in the body flowed out from a suddenly appeared "hole"...

That inexplicable "thing"... that "void"...

Through meditation, Li Yin's consciousness sank deep into his body, following the afterglow that had not yet completely dissipated, groping for clues that had been left behind, and grasped, or re-"condensed" that inexplicable thing, and repositioned and opened the "hole".

With a change of mind and a push of the spirit, that inexplicable thing flowed out again.

"Snap!" - Li Yin's palm was empty, and right in front of him, the half-broken limb was split into two again, flipping over and falling one after another.

Chapter 5: Mind Flayer Ghoul ()

Li Yin withdrew his hand. After the initial astonishment, his eyes had returned to the long-lost clarity from the initial uncertainty, but there was still a hint of careful consideration.

Spell-like spells? Or sorcerer spells? As a wizard, Li Yin was not very clear about the difference between the two. Simply put, whether it was a spell-like spell or a sorcerer spell, they could be included in a broader definition, that is: special abilities that did not need to be learned, were rooted in the bloodline, and were innate.

Maybe it's not rigorous enough, but Li Yin thinks that in a sense, the ability he inherited from the ghouls to recover quickly by lying in a pit is also a spell-like ability or can be barely called a sorcerer's spell. Of course, there are also special abilities, supernatural abilities and other classifications, but those professional terms are too complicated for the current situation.

Now, for the sake of convenience in thinking, let him temporarily call the strange phenomenon on his hand just now as blood magic. In other words, from now on, he is a "sorcerer".

A warlock with ghoul blood.

Why would he call himself a ghoul warlock instead of a mind flayer?

Because, among the second-ring arcane spells, there is indeed a spell that is closely related to creatures like ghouls, and is quite similar to the phenomenon just now:

Ghoul's Touch.

Li Yin himself did not master this spell, but he understood its basic principles and main characteristics.

As the name suggests, the Ghoul's Touch spell was developed by mages based on the paralyzing toxin on the claws of ghouls - yes, it was the one that Li Yin had been infected with before. However, it is not a full-scale imitation of the ghoul's toxin. It will only paralyze the recipient and make him unable to move, but it will not turn the person hit or killed by it into a ghoul.

Its principle is to manipulate negative energy, and the way to cast the spell is to transmit it through touch - these two points are exactly the same as what Li Yin did just now. "Touch" is needless to say, and the ability to corrode flesh and blood is undoubtedly the characteristic of negative energy. Moreover, when Li Yin carefully experienced it just now, when the "inexplicable thing" flowed out from his arm, there was indeed a chilly feeling wherever it passed.

However, its specific effect is quite different from that of the ghoul - Li Yin looked down at the ground, and the two newly added limbs obviously did not match each other, and there was a large piece missing between the broken limbs. At the same time, he felt a warm air flow in his body, and the cells became obviously active wherever it passed, and his body felt a faint stimulation and excitement, as if it was growing and transforming.

——Devour the flesh and blood of others to strengthen oneself. This effect is more like a more advanced spell:

Third-ring arcane: Vampiric touch.

However, even the touch of a vampire only draws the target's vitality to replenish itself. The target will become tired, weak, and even visibly old and exhausted, but it will never be so violent - directly turning the flesh and blood into nothing!

Is it a mutation? Li Yin narrowed his eyes slightly.

He has the blood of both the mind flayer and the ghoul in his body. Perhaps it is for this reason that stronger blood gives birth to stronger spells.

In any case, Li Yin made a preliminary conclusion: this is a good thing rather than a bad thing.

First of all, the new ability means that he has become stronger and has a better chance of surviving in this dark world.

Secondly, the effect of this new ability has begun to show: Li Yin did not have a mirror, but he clearly felt that as the warm air in his body surged up, his face began to feel itchy. The forehead that was smashed by the dark elf was healing quickly, and his swollen face also had a cool and refreshing feeling, and the burning pain disappeared along with the stagnation...

This unexpected turn of events came at the perfect time - otherwise, Li Yin would have to dig a hole and bury himself, so that his appearance would not arouse suspicion as soon as he returned to the camp.

In addition, the hunger and thirst surging in his body seemed to be diluted a lot by the replenishment of flesh and blood, which allowed him to think about the problem calmly again.

However, the hunger and thirst had not completely dissipated. Li Yin could clearly feel that only the desire for flesh and blood had subsided, and the mysterious atmosphere lingering around him, that is, the attraction of the deceased's dissipated spiritual consciousness, became more prominent because of this.

Fortunately, this was the only temptation left now, rather than the two instincts of the ghoul and the mind flayer attacking from both sides, and he had just gained some sense of fullness from devouring the life energy contained in the flesh and blood, so he didn't have to spend too much energy to resist.

However... a thought suddenly flashed through Li Yin's mind: Is it really necessary to resist?

He stretched out his right hand, and once again, somewhat awkwardly used that "inexplicable thing", "opening" his palm, fist and fingertips - as if all the pores were opened and pressed against Turner's half remaining forehead.

Blood and soft tissue flowed, and the subtle "gurgling" and "gurgling" sounds vibrated in the quiet air. The half of the dark elf's head on the neck disappeared in Li Yin's palm at a speed visible to the naked eye until it disappeared completely.

Li Yin stopped, his hand already on the smooth neck of the corpse.

Suddenly, he leaned forward, tilted his head slightly upward, and burped.

An unusually satisfying feeling of fullness rose in his mind. At this moment, not only the ghouls' hunger for flesh and blood, but even the mind flayers' appetite for the spirits of living things had subsided and no longer bothered him.

At the same time, unlike the previous two times when he devoured the dark elf's body parts, absorbing his head not only made a warm current surge in Li Yin's body again, but also invigorated his spirit and made him feel refreshed. That feeling was like when he had just merged with the larva of the mind flayer and woke up in the wilderness of the Underdark for the first time.

This is the tangible feeling of feedback from the growth and improvement of brain power.

Could it be... Li Yin's heart was beating fast. During that fusion, he not only absorbed the mental power of the mind flayer larvae, but also inherited their ability to devour the spirits of other creatures to grow their own consciousness?

The hungry appetite just now and the excitement and clarity in his mind at this moment were all before his eyes, making Li Yin realize that this idea was not just a guess.

He couldn't help but feel excited.

Although this meant adding two more things to his "diet" that he originally could not tolerate, but - that was only the original.

He raised his right hand and looked at his palm, but his vision became empty and lost focus. Under the impetus of his will, the negative energy in his body arranged and combined according to a fixed rule and wonderful structure, forming a complete and harmonious whole. A new, flowing entity gathered towards his palm.

Chapter 6: Mind Flayer Ghoul ()

All of this was done driven by instinct - a completely different experience from casting a wizard's spell - before realizing that there were some mysterious rules in the movement of this energy, the movement itself was already completed. There was no need to think or analyze, let alone learn. Everything was as natural as eating and drinking.

Warlock, so powerful! Li Yin couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

A natural born warlock might not care that much about his unique talent, but only a wizard like him who has gone through the tedious study of magic from the basic principles and studied and experimented day and night can feel the power of this talent of using magic as an instinct.

In particular, Li Yin thought about his embarrassing situation of being a cripple after losing his spell book, as well as a series of miserable experiences afterwards, and understood this point more deeply - if he were a sorcerer, it would never be like this, they would not forget their spells, just like people would not forget to walk with their feet or grab things with their hands.

Using spells is as easy as moving your hands and feet. They are the "real mages"! They are more in line with the public's imagination of "mages"!

This is getting off topic. Anyway, with the existence of such a spell - his vision refocused on the palm of his right hand - absorbing the flesh and spirit of a living being did not seem so difficult to accept.

Humans are creatures that are deeply controlled by form, Li Yin sneered slightly with a hint of self-mockery. In fact, using this spell and eating directly with your mouth and teeth are no different from the beginning and the end, both of which turn parts of other creatures into your own nutrients...

So, could it be that what I was seeking was nothing more than a false moral comfort? He thought uncomfortably.

No, he frowned, thought for a moment, and gave a negative answer, ending his self-criticism.

"Form" is not hypocritical, "form" is actually very important.

Just like the spell condensed in the palm of his hand at this moment, it was originally just a group of scattered, free negative elements. However, when they were combined in a certain form, an unheard-of new spell was born.

It can be said that magic itself is an art of form, and as a wizard, he is originally an "artist" of "form".

All things in the world, whether active organisms or quiet dead objects, not only have their "essence" but also are the embodiment of "form".

Therefore, "form" is important. It is important to explore new "forms", but it is also necessary to adhere to certain existing "forms", just like defending some precious things that already exist in this universe.