394 The Mad Lab 1

[BONUS] 2/3

Kreg's Town was filled with old wooden houses that had already started to decay. Areas that weren't roads but muddy grounds.

Even from afar, creatures emitting the stench of death assaulted their senses.

There was a wall that enclosed the Town, but from the looks of it, it hadn't been changed since centuries ago. Although the wall was made of stone, it looked dilapidated.

In summary, the entire Town was far from being well-maintained.

The Town housed varying creatures — most were still humans, but there were also elves, dwarves, gnomes, beastmen, halflings, sprites, and the likes.

Rats scurried around in packs, dogs here and there barked at anything that moved, and cats prowled about.

The Town itself wasn't very big, and it wasn't bustling with life either.

This place was surrounded by monsters. Although it was relatively safer than living outside, it didn't guarantee their lives, so most inhabitants lived in fear inside their houses, forever keeping their doors shut.

Those who were not as fortunate were curled at the side, clutching their heads as they mumbled to themself, seemingly out of their mind.

Only a few dared to walk around, but even they were gloomy.

"I'm glad I don't live here," said Leonel. "This place is creepy and depressing."

"It's supposed to be," said Isolde. "Can you imagine a festive street filled with happy people in this kind of setting, with wide cobbled stone roads and all? Wouldn't that offset the mood?"

"What's the point of this Halloween Event if it doesn't scare us at all, right?" Sumeri added.

Leonel gave the two the side eye. "Aren't you girls supposed to be scared?"

When did the world turn upside down — women were fiercer now, while men had turned into cowards.

They walked through the streets, just looking around and occasionally conversing with an NPC. Everyone who replied to them only said the same things.

"The Mayor of Kreg is desperate to rid his Town of the Mad Doctor's creations and, if fortune permits, get rid of the Doctor himself. The Mayor is offering one thousand candy points to the group of adventurers who can drive the Mad Doctor away and end his endless creations of nonhuman life."

"In recent weeks, all his constables have had horrific deaths at the hands of the monsters who have escaped the Doctor's island. Their bodies have been found torn apart, with some with organs missing."

"Don't walk in these streets too long. It's a monster's den."

"You might want to get out of here while you still can."

"I hear cries every hour coming from the island of the Mad Doctor. People are missing every day, and it's only a matter of time before this Town is overrun by the monsters the Mad Scientist created."

"The mad Scientist who lives on an island near here wasn't like that before. But one day, he just started creating monsters. They're not like any other monsters that we've ever seen. It's horrible! Since then, the Town started to decay, and this place has been covered in eternal darkness."

"Everyone who was taken over there never come back. Every day, all sorts of creatures would go missing, and if ever they got back, they had already turned into a horrible monster with weird limbs and organs."

"All we know is that the Mad Doctor is making more monsters every day. We need to stop him before it's too late."

"Now I'm curious at what these monsters look like," said Leonel, to which Roz nodded.

Roz was so silent, as if he couldn't speak. He only replied with simple gestures like a nod or shake of a head when asked.

As a man who was beaten down and trampled on while being rejected left and right, his self-esteem had surely suffered.

"Are you sure you want to see one?" Ren teased.

Leonel shrugged. "We're going to face one whether we like it or not, so . . . might as well."

Everyone chatted until they eventually stumbled upon the Mayor of Kreg.

The Mayor was a middle-aged man with a bushy white beard and bags under his eyes that seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. His back was hunched, and his cane was barely supporting his shaking legs.

He looked so tired that not even sleep could put him to rest.

The Mayor of Kreg was standing at the only shop in Town, which was the only structure that was open. Behind that shop was a fat Halfling with a pig's face and a human's body. His pair of menacing eyes and tusks were enough to keep the monsters at bay.

"Ah! Adventurers! Finally!" The Mayor said, face suddenly bright for the first time in a long time.

Everyone raced to the Mayor, and soon, the small alleyway was filled to the brim with so many groups.

Sumeri's lips skewed to the side. "Are we going in there?"

"No," Ren answered. "Let's turn here and press on."

"Where are we going, Mister?" Nikolai asked.

Ren briefly shot Nikolai a glance before answering, "Into the Harbor."

"Egh? We're going to the island right away?" Leonel asked.

"There's a time limit, so we must hurry. Besides, we're not here for the candies anyway," Ren explained.

"Aren't we going to check the shop first?" Sumeri questioned.

"We don't have candy points to buy anything there at the moment. Let's not bother."

At Ren's words, everyone was convinced to go to the harbor and ride a boat toward the Mad Doctor's island.

Since all the other groups were still crowding in Town, Ren and his group got into one of the boats without hassle.

There were only ten boats available, so there was a first come, first serve basis. With limited boats, most of the other groups would surely be delayed, affecting the number of candies they could receive.

The moment they came to the server, the game started the countdown.

Time didn't wait for anyone. The number of candies they would have depended on their choices.

Right now, it was either they acquire the Mayor's quest for that one thousand points that could only be acquired after having defeated the Mad Doctor, or . . . they could immediately set sail into the island and start hunting monsters for candy points.

"Even the boatman is scary." Leonel whispered to Isolde when they set sail into the foggy sea. "Are you sure he's not a ghost?"

The old man who was rowing their boat looked older than a mummy but could row like a bull.

"Something is definitely not right with him," Isolde whispered back. "Do you think . . . he is one of the Doctor's creations?"

Evie's eyes shone at the prospect, and she looked at the old man without blinking.

In the eerie silence, there was no way that the old man wouldn't hear them. He stopped rowing, and slowly . . . ever-so-slowly, he turned in their direction. The bones on his neck cracked at every agonizing turn while the smile on his face stretched up to his ears.

Leonel screamed, making Isolde laugh out loud at the former's reaction.

Ren only shook his head and muttered, "Even Nikolai is manlier than you."

( . . . continuation on NOTES)