"Alright!" As a muscle-bound warrior, Lambert was nothing like Carlaqiu—he didn’t overthink things. He swallowed the orb in one gulp. At first, he didn’t feel anything strange, except his nearly exhausted strength was now surging like an endless stream. An infinite fighting spirit exploded in his heart, and the shaggy-haired youth let out a wild roar, charging straight at the Black Dragon.
A sudden sense of dread welled up in Carlaqiu’s heart, as if she’d just made a terrible mistake.
But with a deadly enemy right in front of her, there was no time to think it over. She could only grab her staff and do everything she could to help take down the Black Dragon.
Meanwhile, atop the mountain peak.
"So, your goal is the Black Dragon Gem?" Elena watched the distant man-versus-dragon battle, her eyes flashing. "You tempted the witch of Lotus Marsh, and planted a special backup in the most promising Lambert. Looks like the Black Dragon Gem is already in your pocket. Next, you’ll get the power of the Black Dragon Gem—oh, and with the Gold Dragon and Silver Dragon, that’s three gems together. World domination is just around the corner."
"So, we’re not on the same side after all." The mage in the azure robe spoke calmly, his hands never pausing. "Dragon gems are just a source of magic. Sure, magic sources aren’t exactly common, but how could they compare to my studies?"
"Studies?" Elena was taken aback by the word. In her eyes, this mysterious mage was already a scholar among gods—what could possibly count as his ‘studies’?
"That’s right. I’m just a tiny student in the endless ocean of knowledge. I never underestimate any thriving world, nor any person with potential." For once, the azure mage looked up from his cube, focusing intently on the world before him. "Personal wisdom is small and limited; but the potential a whole world can unleash in times of crisis is truly beautiful. Every experiment is a rare lesson, letting me learn even greater truths. That’s why I’ll always be a student."
Elena’s focus was nowhere near the mage’s ambitions: "A crisis? You mean... the Black Dragon?"
"The Black Dragon?" The mage shook his head, his calm tone making Elena’s heart clench. "Do you know what I really had Carlaqiu give Lambert to eat?"
After days of probing, Elena had grown bold enough to guess at the mage’s origins. She tentatively asked, "Is it some kind of extremely dangerous substance from another world?"
"Yes and no. Ordinary substances from other worlds wouldn’t work on you, and regular biological parasites are pointless. I’m not after simple destruction—I want possibility." The mage gazed at Lambert in the thick of battle, his tone full of anticipation. "That substance came from the person I know with the most and strongest possibilities."
"A person?" Elena gasped. "A human?"
"Yes. The strongest body I’ve ever seen. Even he worries about his own physical shell, so to prevent uncontrollable evolution, he sealed himself deep beneath the earth’s crust. I helped him seal himself, and in exchange, I took a piece of his body. After thorough research, I was amazed at its structural perfection—absolute chaos at its core, yet an underlying order. These seemingly contradictory life essences balance and strengthen each other, giving him almost endless evolutionary potential. This trait rivals even the godspawn—absolutely stunning." Professor Azure lifted his sleeve. "Because this person is so unique, even a tiny fragment counts as a Chosen One. So, Lambert’s role is to carry my experiment on ‘reverse parasitism of the Chosen One.’"
Godspawn... Chosen One... reverse parasitism... The words flew through Elena’s mind, and she felt like she sort of understood, but also didn’t. In her daze, something suddenly clicked. The man-versus-dragon battle in the distance was heating up—the human squad originally had no hope against the Black Dragon, not even with the Gold Dragon lending a hand. But Lambert was suddenly unstoppable, tipping the scales back toward victory.
The battlefield was chaos, but as the queen of the dark elves, Elena’s eyesight was far above ordinary. In her intense crimson gaze, black marks began to appear on Lambert’s face and skin. As the markings grew into intricate patterns, his fighting power soared, his attacks exploding through the air with unmatched ferocity. Lambert’s eyes grew wild and obsessive, his raging aura now tinged with a dark gleam.
A chill ran through Elena as she suddenly understood. She cried out, "Lambert is the crisis? You want to control Lambert to destroy the world?!"
"Sigh." The mage’s sigh startled Elena, especially as Professor Azure spoke with deep meaning: "Elena, your potential ends here."
"I..." Terror flooded Elena’s heart. She quietly gathered her power, while outwardly putting on a scared face and edging back.
"You run around stirring up trouble, pulling strings, influencing Bernard and making people bow to you—that’s control. But I don’t control, I have no desire for power. I won’t destroy the world on purpose, either—I have no urge for destruction. I’m just a pure scholar; all I want is a grand lesson." Light from the Infinity Cube began to fill the entire multidimensional cube as Professor Azure looked at Elena. "For anyone with potential, I just give a little push and then... let nature take its course."
"So what about people with no potential?" Elena narrowed her eyes, ready to strike at any moment.
"Those without potential, I just let them live or die on their own. I won’t go out of my way to destroy them, but if they’re in my lab, I won’t pay them any mind either. But," Professor Azure looked at the dark elf, "Elena, do you know why I’m telling you all this? It’s because you’re special. Your potential may be spent, but your unique life traits mean you’ll take part in a very special experiment."
(This chapter isn’t over ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!)
"What experiment—" Elena started to ask, almost playfully, as if genuinely curious. But in the very next instant, a burst of black smoke exploded and Elena vanished. A flash of dark light—a pure black dagger stabbed straight at Professor Azure’s heart, her killing move faster than thought.
But she struck empty air.
The azure robe suddenly split open to both sides, and underneath—nothing! There had never been anyone inside; all this time, Elena had only been talking to a robe, and she hadn’t noticed at all!
Terror seized Elena’s heart. Black smoke billowed as she tried to dodge, but suddenly the robe engulfed her completely.
A familiar voice echoed from inside the robe: "This is the experiment."
"Aaaahhhh——!!!" Agony like knives scraping bone tore at her soul, carving something into her will. Elena’s iron resolve let her struggle for a moment, but she was soon swept away by endless pain. The robe wrapped her tightly, winding around her inch by inch—she felt some nameless thing invading her mind.
"There are two approaches to reverse parasitism of the Chosen One. The first is Lambert’s path, the second is yours. Whichever it is, my ultimate goal is to learn better. For the sake of learning, I’ll do plenty of dangerous things. So my number one priority is—don’t die."
Even in the depths of agony, Elena could still hear the voice. At first it was that hateful mage, then a jumble of indistinguishable voices, and finally—she vaguely heard her own.
"As long as I don’t die, I can use the best laboratory." A flood of memories surged into Elena’s soul, and her personality as "Elena" was on the verge of collapse. "That’s the nexus where infinite time and space converge, with endless potential and limitless possibility. Only by giving it a push can I witness the beauty of nature."
Fifteen minutes later.
"Lam—Lambert..." Barna lay collapsed on the ground, a bloody gash across his chest leaving him unable to move. The burly man’s face was full of shock and heartbreak; he reached out, desperately trying to grasp the suddenly unfamiliar figure: "How could you... how did you become like this...?"
"Carlaqiu!" Tyler struggled in the dust. "What did you do? You’re the villain of the world!"
"I... I don’t know... It’s the orb—it’s the orb that’s the problem!" Carlaqiu struggled as well, a flash of determination on her face. "Lambert’s mind is unstable now, but he hasn’t killed us outright, which means his true self is still fighting! We have to help him—help him use the Dragon Pearl to revive Lia! Only then can we lift his spirits and help him overcome the darkness inside!"
"Then what are you waiting for? Go, hurry!"
"I can’t—I can’t move. Not even a finger..."
"Lia... Lia..." Lambert’s face was covered in black marks, his eyes vacant, his expression hollow. He staggered along, clutching the massive Black Dragon Gem in his left hand. The Black Dragon Gem radiated a seductive, corrupting chaos—Bernard had fallen to it before. But now, the gem was too busy to care.
From the black marks on Lambert’s left palm, back of the hand, and wrist, thin tendrils emerged, probing the Black Dragon Gem. Then, like sharks scenting blood, they lunged at it, wrapping around and tightening, as if drawing out its energy.
Lambert was totally oblivious to the freaky changes happening to his own body. Right now, he was a man possessed—hell-bent on one thing: snatching the Dragon Pearl and bringing Lia back from the dead.
But just as he trudged up the hillside where Lia had fallen, he saw a figure standing there, waiting for him.
Naomi, the elf princess, charged up with her last ounce of strength. When she spotted the figure, she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Elena!" she gasped, then frowned—this elf looked like Elena, but something about her was way off.
This dark elf was rocking a sky-blue robe, no hood this time—her knockout face was out in the open. (Forget that old throne room look...) She used to be the ultimate dark elf flirt, but now? Not even a whiff of her old playful vibe. Those eyes that always glowed red like taillights? Now they were... crystal clear?
Naomi couldn’t believe her eyes. Elena’s eyes, clear? Was this some kind of cosmic prank? But looking closer, the restless hunger that used to spark in those eyes was gone. And it wasn’t just desire—something else had vanished too. Her gaze had zero warmth, no trace of human feeling. All that remained was pure, relentless obsession.
That kind of single-mindedness? Way scarier than the old Elena ever was.
Naomi whipped out her bow and aimed an arrow right at her. "Elena? Or not—whoever you are, I’m not falling for any of your freaky tricks!"
But the dark elf in blue didn’t even glance at Naomi. She just waved at the dazed, wild-haired Lambert. "Hey Lambert, you should congratulate me—my other experiment finally worked! As for you, looks like I still need to tinker with your settings."
"Lia... Lia..." Lambert didn’t react. His eyes were blank, but panic was rising as he desperately searched for the elf girl’s body. "Lia... where are you..."
"Oh, Lia? She’s right here." The dark elf’s lips curled into a twisted smile as she held up an eyeball—sliced open every which way. "Did you know, Lambert, forest elves in the Dawn Raiders world have eyeballs built totally different from humans? Special lenses, special muscles, eyesight three times sharper than ours. That’s why they’re ace archers. And check this—their bones are hollow, but tough as carbon nanotubes, so they’re super light but still strong."
Lambert felt like he’d been hit by a truck. Floating in front of him was a horror show of scattered body parts—strips of elven skin, weirdly shaped bones, and a mess of organs, all drifting in the air.
"Oh? Don’t recognize your little girlfriend anymore?" The dark elf smiled with a weird purity. "You should thank her—she’s made a real contribution to my interdimensional biology research."
"No, no, no!!! Ugh, ugh, ugh—aaaaaaaah!!!" Lambert lost it, screaming his lungs out.
Suddenly, endless, writhing tentacles exploded out of Lambert’s body, snatching Naomi and dragging her in. With a flash of light, the dark elf teleported to the mountaintop far away. Watching the wild chaos erupt in the distance, she grinned expectantly. "Go wild, Lambert. Go wild, world."
Just then, the Infinity Cube stopped spinning and made a weird chirping sound—like a phone ringing.
[System Message] Attention, attention! The Heart of Tiberia is about to activate, and Unit 3 will be sent to explore. For full data collection, special restrictions are in place for an indefinite period. Unit 3 gets a power boost, but remote energy for other terminals will be reduced. Please adjust your research and learning strategies, and upload results to avoid network congestion. End date for restrictions: TBA. Over and out.
Bzzt—the Infinity Cube started spinning again, but way slower than before.