High School of Demon Hunting
Chapter 591 - 260 Big Mouth Gulu_1

Chapter 591: Chapter 260 Big Mouth Gulu_1

Warm bloody droplets ominously fell from the pitch-black ceiling.

Upon landing, splatters formed patterns like blooming fireworks or a burst of stars. Despite the underwhelming visual impact of the fluid’s color on the iron-grey floor, the warm touch of the droplets and their dynamic splatter more than made up for this deficiency.

In response, everyone within the large blood-spattered area panicked and scrambled to avoid even the slightest touch of blood. It was as if what fell was not blood but concentrated sulfuric acid.

The panic only lasted a few seconds.

In the darkness, someone shouted ’Run! Fetch the professor!’ Many startled students finally reacted, heading towards the exit door of the auditorium in haste.

"Snap!"

Another crisp sound echoed from the speaker’s podium.

A translucent layer with a bloody tint emerged from all directions, silently sealing off every exit.

The auditorium size was modest, the exit door close to the students. Yet, every young student wizard trying to approach the luminescent exit was entangled by vine-like tentacles descending from the ceiling and hurled back to the center of the hall. They hadn’t even had the chance to get close to the luminous barrier at the doorway.

After witnessing several peers viciously slammed to the floor, the others finally learned to stay. Some took out talismans and magic artifacts from their pockets; others drew short knives from their waists or long swords from their backs. Some even pulled out law books and started chanting spells aloud.

For a moment, the tight space of the auditorium was a bedlam of flying spells, crisscrossing swords, and tossed talismans and magic artifacts.

On the podium, the high-hatted puppet host didn’t try to stop the chaotic stampede. Instead, like an orchestra conductor, he leaned forward, squinted his eyes, waved his arms, and marked the beats, occasionally tilting his ear as if listening to the delightful harmony of students’ screams and spell explosions.

However, regardless of how many spells the students cast or talismans they threw, the luminous barrier at the door remained intact, not even trembling. Swords stabbing at the barrier only sparked.

Unlike most young wizards, the Absolution Hunting Team didn’t rush out with the unruly crowd, nor attacked the barrier. They built a Triangle Defense Array on Zheng Qing’s command.

The Array, the most common and effective defensive formation in Hunting Games, consists of three members standing on the vertices of an equilateral triangle, forming an outer line of defense. The remaining two members provided supplementary support.

"When facing confusion or inadequate information, but clearly aware of the opponent’s advantage, the proper response principle is ’Stand Still, Respond Quietly’," The young scholarship student sat cross-legged in the defense circle, murmuring his thoughts to the others.

However, only a few hunting teams demonstrated such awareness.

After all, this was just a rookie hunting game. A majority of participants came for the experience, many hadn’t even fully memorized the ’Basic Hunting Game Rules’. Naturally, when faced with this sudden incident, they were hopelessly confused and panicked.

"Makes sense." Xiao Xiao, holding a tortoise shell, stood by him. As Zheng Qing, Zhang Ji Xin, Xin, and Blue bird stood on the outer triangle as the base points, Xiao Xiao and Zheng Qing acted as the Defense Eye, responsible for energy supplements and support.

Professor looked at Zheng Qing in mild surprise. "...But, this choice doesn’t sound like something you’d make. You’re usually the type to lead everyone to charge."

Zheng Qing’s face darkened but didn’t argue with the professor’s comment.

Indeed, for a moment, he did consider joining the wizards in charging to break down the barrier. But a voice in his head kept nagging him to be rational and not blindly follow the crowd.

That’s how he settled with this conservative choice.

"Charging, that’s something the elders love to do." The young scholarship student casually made fun of Zhang Ji Xin, followed by pointing fingers at the ceiling, asking, "What was that thing just now?"

He was referring to the large mouth-like thing that swallowed the wizard who had laughed.

If the Absolution Hunting Team planned to stay where they were and wait for help, they needed to recognize all threatening elements in the auditorium. Even if they couldn’t eliminate them, they must find ways to resist.

"I didn’t get a clear look because it was too fast," The professor shook his head, hesitated, then supplemented, "But, based on the residual musky scent, and the tentacle-like vines from the ceiling, I believe it’s a variant of Big Mouth Gulu."

"Big Mouth Gulu?" Zheng Qing nodded thoughtfully, recalling a series of related details. Known as the Chewer, the Big Mouth Gulu is a magical plant native to the Arabian Peninsula, A man-eating flower grown out of snake eggs, it takes the name from its large mouth.

Looking like a snake, its stem can crawl, constrict, and attack; within its huge mouth full of fangs, it can swallow a 500-pound wild boar. Additionally, this plant grows various tentacles, snake-like vines that can flexibly catch any creatures within Big Mouth Gulu’s awareness.

Contrary to its aggressive appearance, the saliva of Big Mouth Gulu exudes a potent musky scent, highly effective for calming the mind. Some wizards with unique tastes like to caged a Gulu in the room as a substitute for expensive calming incense and short-lived Calm Heart talismans in the market.

Today, this magical creature from the Arabian Peninsula has proliferated worldwide into numerous distinct species. Among them, Tokyo Ghoul is a notable species that can parasitize human bodies.

Thinking about this, Zheng Qing shook his head vigorously, trying to shake out the overly detailed descriptions that flashed in his mind.

Although the information was profound and comprehensive, he was sure he had never come across any literature related to this plant.

Now was not the time to ponder these details.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao concluded his analysis: ".....This Big Mouth Gulu is perfectly hidden in the shadows of the ceiling above us. It suggests it’s likely a Shadow plant, which implies the person or organization possessing such technology is extremely sophisticated."

Zheng Qing nodded slightly, agreeing with the professor’s thoughts.

Neither the mastery in transforming a mature creature nor the understanding of the shadow creature’s properties was accessible to ordinary wizards.

From this perspective, the situation seemed unfavorable.