Their decaying bodies were like rotten wood statues shattered by a giant wave.
Crack! Crack!
Under Chloe's horrified gaze, two of the twisted figures were violently slammed against the hard stone wall of the passage by the furious sound waves.
The ear-splitting explosions of shattering bones instantly merged into a continuous sound.
Gray, withered bones snapped inch by inch, and clinging dark purple putrid flesh splattered like mud.
Foul-smelling black oil, shattered bone fragments, and chunks of putrid flesh burst forth, splattering all over the surrounding rock walls.
Another Erosion-Spawned Garrison, not directly hit by the shockwave, struggled to crawl away from this hell.
The dark red embers in its eye sockets flickered violently, revealing a fear that was almost human-like.
A grotesque and terrifying monster actually showed such an expression towards a small, lovely girl.
Chloe only felt her worldview being overturned.
That girl... she must be a demon!
The remaining Erosion-Spawned Garrison had barely crawled two meters when Serie's foot, stained with a bit of black oil, came down like a guillotine.
Squish!
Shattered bones splattered.
The passage was dead silent, with only the lingering hum of the shockwave echoing.
Chloe, covering her ears, was dumbfounded.
Fortunately, although the Abyssal Howl was powerful, its propagation range was somewhat concentrated.
Hiding behind and to the side, she was only left with ringing ears and dizziness, suffering no actual harm.
Chloe, still shaken, looked at Serie, the being who, in her eyes, closely resembled the "demon" in the murals. At this moment, Serie's snow-white long hair gently fluttered in the lingering energy, her exquisite profile like flawless porcelain in the dim light.
Chloe took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound less shaky:
"You... no... are you Lord Gorutos?"
Chloe was not an ordinary adventure enthusiast; she seemed to know the Mad Eater Witch.
But Serie didn't hear her at all, not even glancing at Chloe, and went straight to the nearest pile of still-smoking monster remains.
She knelt down, picked out a relatively intact, thick arm bone, then opened her gaping maw, which was in stark contrast to her delicate face, and unhesitatingly bit into the hard arm bone—
Crunch! Crunch!
A crisp, scalp-numbing chewing sound, accompanied by the snapping of bones, echoed in Chloe's ears.
"Mmm..." Serie gnawed diligently, while also casually picking up a dark purple, slightly twitching chunk of putrid flesh and curiously popping it into her mouth.
What is this?
Let's try a bite.
Chew, chew, chew...
This taste... is it blueberry flavored?!
The texture isn't like raw meat, but rather... springy gummy candy!
Unexpectedly... not bad?
Pig Out is truly the best ability!
On that small face, full of non-human beauty, a deeply satisfied, even somewhat innocently surprised smile slowly spread.
What is this again?
Chew, chew, chew...
"Hehe~" A slightly nasal, almost delighted chuckle escaped from her bulging cheeks.
She sat there, oblivious to her surroundings, in the blood and remains, savoring large mouthfuls of these "ingredients" that would give ordinary people nightmares with just a glance, her face beaming with a simple happiness akin to a picnic, occasionally letting out satisfied giggles.
Chloe: "..."
Chloe froze in place.
She could easily guess that Serie was the demon in the mural, but...
Is this right?
Of course, Serie wasn't foolishly giggling because she was missing a screw.
She was simply hearing the notifications of her Gluttony Count rapidly increasing in her mind, unable to help herself.
[Mad Eater Witch used Wasteful Devour on "Erosion-Spawned Garrison Meat Chunk"]
[Gained 67 Devouring Layers]
["Rotten Flesh" +3%]
["Rotten Flesh" current progress 3%, will gain ability "Corrosive Body" upon completion]
Chloe stared blankly at Serie for a few seconds, seemingly still not having recovered.
Until Tarak's confused voice sounded from behind her: "Ge Lu what? What Lord?"
Chloe abruptly turned her head, startled by Tarak's sudden appearance behind her, and quickly changed the subject: "Tarak? You didn't leave?"
"Of course not!" Tarak slapped his still rather thick chest with a dull thud, trying to straighten his back even more.
He actually had a bit of a tough guy feel... if you ignored his trembling legs.
Chloe knew perfectly well what he was doing, but didn't expose his clumsy pretense, just staring at Serie, and then suddenly said something astonishing: "We have to take her with us."
Tarak's dark face instantly stiffened, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes wide, looking like a toad struck by lightning.
He was stunned for a full four or five seconds, his mind blank, until he confirmed that there was no hint of a joke on Chloe's face.
"Ah?!" A cracked, terrified shriek finally burst from his throat.
"Take... take her with us?!"
He pointed at Serie, who was still eating, and at the ground full of "food" that would make one's stomach churn with just a glance, his tongue somewhat tied, "Chloe! You... you need to clear your head! We should take advantage of that monster eating and run away quickly!"
"And then... and then call the police! Yes! Call the police! Let the police bring... bring rocket launchers to deal with this thing!!"
"No, Tarak!" Chloe's voice was firm and decisive.
She decided to be frank: "Otherwise, why do you think I risked my life to break into this man-eating rainforest? Do you really think I came here for a vacation?"
"Isn't it?!" Tarak's voice was splitting, he waved his arms, trying to comprehend this crazy world, "A spring outing? Experiencing Mayan culture? Or finding some thrilling material for your damn university thesis?!"
He really couldn't think of any other reason that could explain Chloe's adventure.
"Of course not!" Chloe pointed directly at Serie in the corner, who was constantly adding chewing ASMR to their argument: "I came here just to find her."
"Although... uh... she's a bit... different from what I imagined? But yes, it's her!"
"Huh?" Tarak was completely petrified in place, his mouth wide enough to fit a fist.
What on earth is wrong with this world?!
Chloe no longer paid attention to the completely flustered Tarak, leaving him there to reconstruct his worldview.
She composed herself, cautiously, inching step by step towards Serie.
Serie's pair of emerald green eyes immediately lifted alertly, focusing blankly on her, but the movements of her mouth and hands didn't stop at all, gnawing on the black spear with "crunch crunch" sounds, like a large white hamster hugging a giant chew toy.
Chloe nervously swallowed, squatted down, trying to make her voice sound gentle and harmless, and tentatively began: "Um... Lord Gorutos...?"
Responding to her was Serie's even more alert gaze.
Those emerald-like eyes widened, full of confusion and wariness, and what caught Chloe even more off guard was that Serie not only ignored her greeting but also let out a threatening growl from her throat like a small animal protecting its young: "Woof—!"
At the same time, she actually dragged the gnawed, pitted black spear, clumsily yet quickly scooting back two steps, her small hands instinctively clutching the precious half-spear tighter to her chest, warily staring at Chloe's outstretched hand.
Chloe's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, this time it was her turn to be bewildered.
She had anticipated countless possibilities—rage, attack, indifference, even various strange forms of communication...
But it definitely didn't include this...
Food guarding?
This... this ancient demon even guards her food, what the heck?!