The Man-Eating Flower’s bloody maw opened and closed, its sharp teeth clashing with a “crack crack” sound as its branches and leaves twisted and rubbed together. It was a terrifying cacophony, like encountering an alien monstrous plant during space exploration—full of unfamiliarity and savage horror.
Meieruita kept one hand firmly pressed against the back of An Luo’s head to prevent him from injuring himself if he fell too hastily. His other hand pressed against the ground, supporting his own body.
That bitter ink scent from his body hit An Luo full force. Though it had been largely dispersed by the floral Scent Agent An Luo had sprayed on himself, the two were so close that it remained distinctly discernible.
The wide Wizard Robe draped down due to gravity, shrouding An Luo’s vision. The light dimmed once more, and in this small pocket of darkness, only Meieruita’s gray-green eyes were clearly visible.
That face, handsome like a top male model, was very close—close enough to make An Luo hold his breath.
An Luo recalled the time when he had been designing the protagonist’s appearance.
Back then, on web novel sites, protagonists’ looks were usually ordinary or refinedly handsome, with few being the ultra-handsome type.
It made it easier for readers to immerse themselves—very reasonable, since ultra-handsome guys were rare in real life too.
But An Luo had wanted to stand out. He directly set his protagonist with top-tier looks.
No particular reason—just to be different, aiming for innovation.
As for the exact details of what he looked like, An Luo hadn’t thought too deeply.
Handsome was enough.
How exactly handsome? An Luo didn’t know.
But the protagonist needed some defining feature.
An Luo chose the eyes.
Why gray-green?
Embarrassingly, there had been a small snake-shaped hook rack left by a senior student stuck to the wooden partition by his desk.
It was originally a vibrant green, but faded over time into a dark green.
An Luo thought about it and changed “dark” to “gray,” symbolizing the protagonist walking the line between good and evil.
He actually didn’t describe the protagonist’s appearance much in the novel. When he did mention it occasionally, he used vague terms like “handsome” or “strikingly handsome.”
An Luo couldn’t precisely depict Meieruita’s looks even if he tried.
But strangely, Meieruita’s appearance perfectly matched An Luo’s aesthetic.
An Luo didn’t like rugged, tough-guy faces, nor overly soft, androgynous ones.
Meieruita struck a clever balance between the two.
His sharp, stern facial lines ensured no one would mistake his gender, but his features weren’t overly masculine—perfectly just right.
Paired with his aura and Wizard Robe, he looked like a mysterious, wisdom-filled scholar.
An Luo had never seen such a face in real life, nor had he deliberately imagined Meieruita’s appearance.
It wasn’t like that king named Pygmalion, who personally carved a specific statue of a girl.
Being poor, he hadn’t even commissioned any artwork.
So sometimes An Luo wondered why Meieruita’s looks hit his aesthetic sweet spot so precisely.
Right on target.
“Smack.”
Bullseye.
In this narrow space created by the fabric, only An Luo’s slight panting echoed. Meieruita’s breathing remained steady, unhurried.
The intense floral fragrance intertwined with the bitter ink scent, blending into a dizzying new aroma.
“Are you okay?” Meieruita spoke up. “It happened so suddenly. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m fine,” An Luo understood. “I know. Thanks for saving me.”
The protagonist wouldn’t do anything unnecessary.
Meieruita helped An Luo to his feet, and An Luo still felt some lingering fear.
Holy crap, that Man-Eating Flower was still as a virgin, then mad as a rabbit!
Terrifying!
After a while, the Man-Eating Flower’s agitation gradually subsided, returning to its quiet state.
An Luo looked at the now-calm cluster of Man-Eating Flowers and once again deeply realized that he had just escaped death by a hair’s breadth.
If Meieruita hadn’t warned him, and he’d picked a few more fruits, he’d have been torn to shreds when the Man-Eating Flower went berserk.
In the critical moment, the protagonist was reliable as ever!
He felt a slight tug on his right hand. Looking down, An Luo realized he had unconsciously gripped the hem of Meieruita’s robe tightly.
Meieruita’s voice was flat: “I’ll go pick the fruits.”
“Oh… sorry.” An Luo quickly let go.
He handed the Scent Agent to Meieruita, who didn’t refuse. After spraying it on, Meieruita calmly stepped into the Man-Eating Flower cluster.
An Luo watched from the side, hoping to observe the protagonist’s proper technique.
Right away, he noticed the difference from when he’d entered. When An Luo stepped in, the leaves had all retracted, creating a small vacuum zone around him. But when Meieruita entered, that didn’t happen.
The leaves remained piled densely on the ground.
They crunched “creak creak” underfoot.
After Meieruita picked one fruit, the Man-Eating Flowers didn’t expose more fruits as bait like they had for An Luo. The fruits stayed hidden beneath the leaves.
Meieruita picked the fruits in just a few moves and returned to the safe zone, handing them to An Luo.
“Hey, you picked two extra.”
“I saw them and grabbed them on the way.”
An Luo sighed in admiration: “Impressive.”
“You can try one. They taste good.”
“Better wash them first before eating. Not hygienic like this.”
“Mm.”
This wasn’t a good place to linger, so they headed back.
As they walked, An Luo reviewed the events:
“Did I mess up from the start? As soon as I went in, the Man-Eating Flowers clearly reacted.”
He recalled: “They deliberately moved their leaves—did they sense my presence?”
“As for why they didn’t attack right away, maybe the floral scent made them unsure if I was human. So after I picked one fruit, they revealed more as bait?”
“And the frenzy at the end—was that because they confirmed I was human and went mad attacking?”
The more An Luo thought, the more he believed Meieruita must have done something at the last moment to protect him. Otherwise, how was it so perfectly timed? He barely reached the safe zone, and then the Man-Eating Flowers went berserk.
With that in mind, he thanked Meieruita again.
Of course, a thought had crossed An Luo’s mind: what if he suddenly became a great druid, and the Man-Eating Flowers’ actions were friendly gestures? They moved the leaves so he wouldn’t get scratched, then revealed fruits to make picking easy.
But that daydream didn’t mesh with their later frenzy, so it was just a fleeting fancy.
Impossible.
“And you didn’t alert the Man-Eating Flowers, so they didn’t react or go berserk, right?”
“Mm.”
Rounding a corner, An Luo had wanted to ask why Meieruita had pushed him to the ground right after he reached safety, but he figured the protagonist had his reasons and let it go.
They returned to the elevator. An Luo swiped his card smoothly. The stone door closed and opened, and stepping out, they were back on the Wizard Tower’s lower layer—the ground floor.
Though it was the same cold light, the bluish-green firelight here felt much warmer compared to the underground layer’s green glow.
Everything was relative.
An Luo had once found the Wizard Tower’s interior, lit only by bluish-green torches, quite eerie. After his ordeal, he immediately changed his tune.
Bluish-green torchlight was great!
Cozy and warm!
The dormitory was right ahead. An Luo quickened his pace eagerly, pulled out his key, and opened the door.
The collection task required only five fruits. Besides the one An Luo had picked first, Meieruita had gathered six.
Two extras—they could each have one.
An Luo took two to wash, then brought the clean ones to the desk and handed one to Meieruita, who had already opened his Witchcraft Book: “Here, one for each of us.”
Meieruita initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the red fruit lying in An Luo’s wet palm, he recalled that cluster of fawning, tail-wagging-dog-like lowly creations.
Foolish, utterly lacking discernment.
With a bit of disguise, they were fooled, eagerly rushing to “rescue” their Creator.
He gazed at the red fruit in An Luo’s palm, his eyes lowering slightly.
You can’t speak—how perfect.
“Thanks.”
Meieruita took the fruit from An Luo and put it in his mouth.
His hard teeth crushed it, and the round fruit burst instantly, splashing sweet red juice tinged with the coolness of water.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed the pulped remnants, which ceased to exist.
Seeing Meieruita eat his, An Luo didn’t hesitate and ate his too.
As for poison?
Same logic: Meieruita had no reason to.
If he wanted An Luo dead, he could’ve just ignored him in the Man-Eating Flower cluster. No need to save him first, then poison him unnecessarily.
“So sweet! Delicious!” The taste was really good!
A question popped into An Luo’s head: “Meieruita, these fruits are so tasty—do you think anyone picks them specifically as after-dinner fruit?”
Like picking strawberries?
Meieruita, pen in hand as if about to write, looked up at An Luo’s question.
“No. Too dangerous.”
“True. What a shame.”
Yeah, the risk didn’t match the reward.
An Luo had nearly died today.
Such a pity—if only the Man-Eating Flowers were gentler.
Meieruita finished a line, lifted his wrist, and dipped the quill tip in ink.
The Creator—even those mindless, instinct-driven lowly beings could recognize this world’s Creator.
Or rather, precisely because they relied on instinct, free from external interference, could they identify the Creator so accurately, so swiftly?
Their fawning, groveling posture was even more excessive than a dog circling and wagging its tail.
No—they could only be threats.
Unqualified to be understood, let alone become favorites.
Meieruita smiled silently.
After all, though they had mouths, they couldn’t speak.
What a clever design.
