Ignoring the first one hiding in the corner, Fang Ming refocused his gaze on the tentacles. In a mysterious way, methods of control fed into Fang Ming's mind.
Following the information from the tentacles, Fang Ming mobilized his consciousness and drove the tentacles to change.
"Scale Sword!" Fang Ming let out a soft hum.
Soon, the scales on the outer layer of the tentacles began to grow rapidly, forming rows of slender, sharp scales densely packed together. Under Fang Ming's control, the tentacles became flat, resembling a sword blank. Combined with the fine scales on the surface, a sharp tentacle longsword was instantly formed.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Fang Ming marveled, touching the hardness of the Scale Sword with his hand. It felt no less sturdy than ordinary steel. Fang Ming casually swung it at the flesh of the surrounding giant monster, slicing a foot-long opening as if it were cutting tofu.
"So sharp!" Fang Ming was surprised. If he had had this Scale Sword earlier, wouldn't killing the giant monster have been as easy as playing? He swung it a few more times to test his grip, feeling greatly satisfied. He couldn't wait to test the next function.
"Scale Shield!"
The scales on the surface changed again. However, unlike the Scale Sword, these scales became wide and thick. The tentacles retracted and expanded outwards, forming a shield blank.
Soon, a Scale Shield about a meter in diameter was formed, emitting a faint glow from its surface. In terms of coverage, if Fang Ming crouched down, it would be enough to block all frontal attacks.
Since it was a shield, its durability definitely needed to be tested.
"Number One, stop trembling in the corner and come help me test the Scale Shield," Fang Ming called out to Number One.
Number One's limbs were still a bit weak. It shakily supported itself on the giant monster's body and stood up, but its mouth was not soft: "Who told you I was trembling? I, Nicholas the Mad Young Master, was just a little excited to see such a pretty little sister."
"Alright, alright, I know you're not scared. Hurry and come help me test its strength," Fang Ming tried his best to suppress a laugh and urged Number One to come over quickly.
"I wasn't scared in the first place," Number One argued. Reluctantly, it came to Fang Ming's side. "How do we test it?"
Fang Ming raised the shield: "Attack this shield with all your might, and I'll see how strong an attack it can withstand."
"Okay, no problem."
"Bang!"
Number One did not hesitate. It swung its long saber down on the shield. Instantly, scales flew everywhere, and a long gash appeared on the shield. Fang Ming was also pushed back two steps. As for Number One, it was sent flying back and smashed heavily onto the giant monster's body.
"Ouch!" Number One cried out in pain, rubbing its arm and struggling to stand up.
Fang Ming steadied himself and looked at the mark on the shield, speechless: "Why do I feel like your attack carried a personal grudge?"
Good heavens, was this guy trying to split him in two? If the shield hadn't been strong enough, he might have been injured.
"I didn't, I didn't, don't just make things up," Number One quickly denied. It was a joke; with a terrifying guy standing next to them, how could it admit such a thing?
"Forget it, forget it," Fang Ming waved his hand, deciding not to bother with this idiot. Judging by Number One's attack, this Scale Shield could withstand at least the full force of an ordinary Half-Fiend's strike. Of course, if it were a strength-type Half-Fiend, it would probably be difficult to block.
In short, this Scale Shield did not bring Fang Ming as much pleasant surprise as the Scale Sword; it was just passable.
As for the remaining transformations, according to the feedback from the tentacles, there should be one more. However, it couldn't be tested now. Of course, Fang Ming hoped that the third transformation would never be needed in the future.
Beside him, Nannan also withdrew her hair and flew to Fang Ming's front: "Fang Ming, I have already devoured all the resentment within this giant monster."
"So fast?" Fang Ming was a little surprised, then asked, "Do you want to go back into the tentacle to rest?"
Nannan shook her head: "This resentment is enough for me to use for a few days. I don't want to go back to sleep during this time. I've slept for hundreds of years, and I'm getting a bit tired of it."
"I'll just follow you for these few days."
Fang Ming was pleasantly surprised: "Can you? It won't affect you, will it?"
Nannan being able to follow him directly was even more reassuring than the diary. This was almost like having a terrifying Fierce Fiend as a bodyguard!
Nannan tilted her head and thought for a moment: "It should be fine. As long as I don't do anything that consumes too much resentment, I can stay in the real world for about seven days."
"That's good," Fang Ming smiled, then called out to Number One, "Number One, let's go. We're going to the seventh floor."
Number One glanced at Nannan timidly, then cautiously approached Fang Ming and asked, "Are we going to the seventh floor now?"
"Yes, why not go now? That group of people has already gone up ahead, so we should hurry and catch up with them," Fang Ming looked at Number One strangely. "What's wrong? You seem hesitant, is there something special about the seventh floor?"
"The seventh floor... the seventh floor..." Number One hesitated.
"What exactly is wrong with the seventh floor? Just tell me," Fang Ming was getting impatient. Why was this guy being so sluggish?
"The situation on the seventh floor is different from any other floor. The floors below the seventh floor are called the 'Breeding Ground' by the Professor, where failed products like me and basic Fiend Seeds like Gray Resentment Dolls are kept. The floors above the seventh floor are all successful experiments."
Number One began to describe the situation of the eighteen floors.
"And the seventh floor, as a separation layer between the two tiers, does not contain any Fiend Seeds. However, to prevent the Fiend Seeds from the floors above and below from running around recklessly, the seventh floor acts as a barrier. The entire floor is a massive maze. Once you enter, you can't get out, and you'll be trapped inside until you die."
After speaking, Number One looked expectantly at Fang Ming. If Fang Ming could see its gaze, he would probably want to kick it, not for any particular reason, but simply because it was too ugly and scary.
"You mean... you're afraid of going in and not being able to get out, and dying of starvation inside?" Fang Ming understood why Number One was hesitant. This was the reason.
"Yes, yes, yes," Number One nodded frantically.
"Are you scared?" Fang Ming looked at Number One with a half-smile.
"You're talking nonsense!" Number One exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I, Elizabeth the Mad Young Master, am never scared! I'm just... just worried about you guys getting trapped and not being able to get out. Yes, worried about you, not scared at all."
"Then let's go. I'm not afraid," Fang Ming shrugged and walked straight towards the stairwell, with Nannan floating in mid-air following closely behind.
"Hey, hey, hey! You're leaving now? Aren't you going to prepare? Prepare for another ten days and a half a month, stock up on some food and drinks."
Fang Ming turned his head and shouted, "Are you coming or not? If not, we won't wait for you."
Number One hesitated for a moment, then gritted its teeth: "Forget it, if I die, I die. I've had enough of this rotten place."
"Wait for me, I'm coming."
Soon, one person and two fiends arrived at the stairwell and embarked on the path to the seventh floor.
...
Seventh Floor.
Upon entering the seventh floor, Old Six and his group discovered that the layout here was completely different from the floors below. The lower floors had a normal residential design, but the seventh floor was a vast maze.
"The size of this maze completely exceeds the size and height of this floor. What is going on?"
Old Six and the others stopped at the entrance of the maze, unsure of what to do. They had also tried to re-enter the stairs and use a glitch to go directly to the eighth floor, but it was useless. When they went down the stairs from the seventh floor, they still returned to the seventh floor!
In other words, one could only enter the seventh floor, not exit.
"Sixth Master, should we try to break through this maze?" one of Old Six's subordinates asked.
Old Six was uncertain. He took out his compass to check the situation. The compass needle spun wildly, completely malfunctioning, which made Old Six's heart sink. He had never seen such a situation before!
However, Old Six knew the reason for the compass's behavior.
Old Six took a deep breath and said with a heavy tone: "I have some bad news to tell you."
Everyone listened attentively, not daring to make a sound. Their only hope now rested on Old Six, otherwise, it would be a fantasy for them to survive here.
"Regardless of the difficulty of this maze, I'm not sure. But based on the current situation of the compass..." Old Six raised the compass for everyone to see the needle. "There are countless monsters in this maze. With the strength of all of us, entering might mean certain death!"
Although the crowd couldn't understand what the spinning needle represented, they knew Old Six wouldn't lie to them. Old Six's words began to make them panic.
"Sixth Master... then what should we do?"
Old Six thought for a moment: "If we try the maze, we have a nine in ten chance of dying. If we don't, we can only wait here to die, but we might live a few more days. You decide whether to try or not."
The crowd fell silent.
Old Six continued: "Those who come with me, I will do my best to protect your lives. Those who stay, I will leave you seventy percent of the supplies. Raise your hands if you are coming with me."
After a while, six people cautiously raised their hands. Old Six glanced at the remaining two and asked, "Zhang Sheng, Liu Cheng, are you two sure you want to stay here?"
Zhang Sheng and Liu Cheng looked at each other: "Sorry, Sixth Master, the two of us would still prefer to stay. Compared to being eaten by monsters, we'd rather be trapped here to die, at least without fear."
Old Six sighed: "It's my fault for not being able to lead you out safely."
After speaking, he called out to the others: "Each of us will leave three days' worth of rations, and the rest will be left for Zhang Sheng and Liu Cheng."
Old Six had great prestige among the group, and after hearing his words, several people took out a pile of food and drinking water from their backpacks and placed them on the ground. No one showed any dissatisfaction.
Old Six also took out most of the supplies from his bag and left them, sighing, "Let's go!"
With that, he walked into the maze without looking back. The others quickly followed, leaving only Zhang Sheng and Liu Cheng standing there in silence, watching their retreating figures.
"Do you think they can get out?" Zhang Sheng said.
Liu Cheng gave a wry smile: "Who knows? This is only the seventh floor, and there are still eleven floors above. This place is simply a death trap."
"What are your plans now?"
"Plans? Just wait to die slowly."
"I hope they can leave safely..."