Hidden Dead Ends-Chapter 57

In just ten seconds, the entire mysterious flower vanished from his sight.

“...What…!!?” Li Chengyi knelt on one knee, his hand still poised protectively around where the flower had been.

But now, that gesture was pointless.

He’d made a mistake…

A mistake that had possibly destroyed a unique flower capable of strengthening him in ways beyond his understanding…

A wave of indescribable loss surged through him.

But he knew in his heart that, even if he hadn’t made it disappear, it was likely that after the Mist Street Dead End vanished, he would still lose it.

Most Dead Ends appear and disappear over time. Only a few manage to persist indefinitely.

‘Maybe…there are other unusual flowers in other Dead Ends. Even if this one’s lost, it can’t be helped. I didn’t know it couldn’t be transplanted, nor did I expect this to happen…’

He slowly stood up, his face impassive.

‘No, wait!’

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘Dead Ends have real-world counterparts! I haven’t failed yet; there’s still hope!’

His thoughts cleared instantly—since Dead Ends often have real counterparts, and there was a small white flower here, it was likely that this flower exists in reality too. He might be able to find it in the real world and absorb its power without needing to transplant it!

‘I have to find the real-world counterpart!’

A determination formed in his mind.

‘And the chubby kid is the key!’ His thoughts aligned more clearly.

‘So, the main goal now is to exit the memory flash and follow that kid! If too much time passes, he might get away!’

Li Chengyi’s mind honed in on this objective, and he started backing away.

The best way to exit a memory flash within a Dead End was usually to distance oneself or wait.

Previously, he’d used distance, retreating to escape the memory flash.

If he could step out of the memory-activated area, he would snap back to full consciousness.

But just as he lifted his foot to step back—

“Shake, shake, shake, come on now, shake it up! Apples, veggies, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and grapes big and round!”

A strange song drifted over from the direction of the slot machine.

The magnetic pull of the voice slowed his retreating step.

Unconsciously, Li Chengyi found himself listening to the song, its rhythm soothing, making him want to keep listening.

Gradually, he took a step forward, then another, moving toward the slot machine.

“!!?”

Suddenly, Li Chengyi snapped out of it, realizing he’d walked over two meters from where he’d been digging up the white flower!

Not only had he not retreated, but he’d also advanced by over two meters!

‘What the hell!?’

He immediately turned around and started running in the opposite direction.

One meter.

Two meters.

Three meters.

“Doot doot doot~~~ Fruit Adventure! One coin is all you need to spin! Match two symbols for ten times the prize!”

“Match three for thirty times the prize!! Whatever you desire most in your heart, it could be here! Come on, come on!”

A strange voice echoed from the slot machine, neither male nor female, like a clown singing through a strained throat or a distorted synthesized tone—anything but a natural voice.

At the sound of that voice, Li Chengyi’s retreat slowed again.

His eyes grew blank, his expression wooden, as he turned and began walking toward the slot machine.

One step.

Another step.

His steps were slow but steady, each one carrying him closer.

A hint of struggle flashed in his eyes.

This faint moment of resistance alerted him to his current situation—he was moving toward the slot machine on his own!? His body seemed beyond his control, inching forward.

‘Something’s wrong! My body…’ Li Chengyi’s heart pounded with fear as he realized he felt trapped within his own body, unable to control any of his limbs.

A surge of strategies raced through his mind, and a flash of inspiration struck him.

‘Flower Language: Fortify!’

Buzz!!

In an instant, Li Chengyi’s whole body seemed to glimmer faintly with a golden light.

His skin, eyes, hair, nails, and even his clothes briefly shone with a golden radiance.

The fortification power of the Sword Lily’s flower language bolstered both his physical and mental resilience.

**Flower Language - Fortify**: When activated, greatly enhances physical and mental fortitude, lasting fifteen minutes with a one-hour cooldown.

He could feel the control of his body returning to him.

Without hesitation, he turned and bolted.

Thud, thud, thud.

He sprinted away from the slot machine, disappearing into the gray mist.

‘Once I’m out, I have to find that chubby kid!’

His only thought now was to locate the boy and find the real-world Mist Street. That might be his only chance to regain the Mountain Red’s flower language!

Thud, thud, thud!

With swift strides, Li Chengyi noticed the mist gradually thinning in front of him.

Then, about ten meters away, he saw the colorful slot machine again.

His body went cold, and he stopped dead in his tracks, panting as he glared at the lone slot machine.

Behind it, the sign for Wu Ji Convenience Store was clearly visible.

Yet Li Chengyi felt an inexplicable heaviness settling in.

“Shake, shake, shake, come on now, shake it up…”

The slot machine resumed its song.

A strange force engulfed Li Chengyi, causing his gaze to flicker between confusion and resistance.

Once more, his body began drifting toward the slot machine.

Step by step by step.

“Sword Lily!!” Li Chengyi roared in a low voice.

His face contorted as a faint golden glow enveloped him.

Golden petals of the Sword Lily fluttered around him, forming a fierce, bronze-gold armor over his body.

Donning the Flower Scale Armor, he activated Fortify once again.

Immediately, his mental fortitude surged, allowing him to regain control over his body.

“You think I’ll let you keep singing!?”

In a fit of rage, he stormed up to the slot machine and kicked it.

Bang!!!

The machine toppled over, the control panel sliced open by the blades on his armored foot, leaving it unusable.

Sparks of blue electricity crackled within the cracks, and the voice faltered, breaking into disjointed syllables.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!!!

Li Chengyi swung at the machine repeatedly, his two wide-bladed swords hacking it into pieces.

Bits of plastic and metal parts scattered everywhere.

The song fell silent, and in mere seconds, the slot machine lay in a heap of disarrayed scraps.

Breathing heavily, Li Chengyi stood back, surveying the aftermath.

The destruction had effectively broken the machine’s hold over him.

But now, he felt an inexplicable shift in the surroundings.

The storefronts lining Mist Street, cloaked in gray fog, seemed slightly altered from before.

‘Is this because I destroyed the slot machine?’

He wasn’t sure, but he doubted it would be this easy to disable the machine permanently.

Surely others before him had thought of breaking the slot machine to escape.

Yet when he entered, the machine was intact.

Which meant it likely had a self-repair function.

‘Now, something else should change…’ Li Chengyi scanned his surroundings cautiously.

Suddenly, a sharp screech came from behind, approaching rapidly.

In an instant, a black-hooded, masked figure in tattered robes was upon him, covering the hundred-meter distance in the blink of an eye.

Li Chengyi barely had time to switch into the Wisteria Flower Scale Armor before feeling a blunt impact against his chest.

Thud!!!

His body jolted, and beneath his helmet, he felt… puzzled?

‘It doesn’t…hurt?’

Li Chengyi’s expression froze. He’d braced himself for severe injury.

But…

The armor absorbed the entire blow without issue.

Looking down, he saw the assailant: a mysterious figure in a pitch-black mask adorned with a white cross pattern, lacking any visible facial features.

The figure held a twisted, wave-like black dagger that had struck Li Chengyi’s chest with great force.

Yet Li Chengyi felt nothing.

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The combined fortification of the Wisteria Flower Scale Armor and Fortify flower language had an explosive effect.

With a quick

glance at the figure, Li Chengyi raised his hand, summoning the Sword Lily’s golden longsword.

He sliced the figure cleanly in two, severing it at the waist without a single drop of blood spilling.

The figure collapsed, crumbling like an empty shell—just a set of moving cloaks and robes.