Volume One: The Lord of the Infernal World Chapter Three: Synthesizing the Corpse-Eating Vine

A giant earthworm, alive.

That would do.

Chen Gu coiled the massive worm around his left forearm, then swept his gaze across the surroundings, searching for a suitable material for synthesis.

Although the ground abounded with mud and scattered bones, Chen Gu instinctively understood these were not suitable for combining with an earthworm.

Pet synthesis, after all, had its own basic laws.

Only when attributes were complementary or harmonious would the chance of successful synthesis be high, with the possibility of producing something truly valuable. If one tried combining opposed attributes, such as water and fire, it was already considered lucky if the result didn’t explode.

An earthworm with soil would have been an apt combination.

Yet, as Chen Gu contemplated this, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was like fusing a dog with its own dog food.

That sense of absurdity made him abandon the idea and search for another approach.

Soon, his gaze settled on a patch of grass nearby.

It was not the grass itself that drew his attention—it was the most common kind in the area—but the number of corpses clustered around it.

There was surely something within the grass that preyed on living beings.

Clutching the bone club he’d picked up earlier, Chen Gu hurled it forcefully toward the thicket.

With a muffled thud, yellow pollen burst from the grass, and a vine shot out, striking down the bone club.

“Man-eating Vine?”

Chen Gu had learned a great deal during his years at school. At the very least, his survival and monster lore skills were top-notch.

After all, everyone faced their first lord’s world challenge alone. It would be a farce to perish of starvation simply because one failed to find food, regardless of strength.

Whether they wanted to or not, schools made sure students understood this.

So, when the vine lashed out, Chen Gu instantly recognized what lurked beneath the grass.

Without hesitation, he scooped up stones and bones from the ground and began pelting the thicket relentlessly.

The Man-eating Vine was a common backdrop in the wild. If one had a large force at hand, it could be safely ignored, but for a lone traveler, it was deadly.

The Man-eating Vine emitted a pale yellow pollen that sapped any animal’s strength within reach, then killed its prey with its tendrils, letting the flesh rot to nourish itself.

The best way to deal with it was to keep throwing rocks until it exhausted all its pollen, then pull it from the earth.

Once uprooted, the vine was powerless.

What’s more, red fruits grew at its roots—key ingredients for a certain blood-replenishing potion. Chen Gu had even learned how to brew a makeshift version during school.

But now, he had other plans. Chen Gu, ever perceptive, sensed that the Man-eating Vine might make an excellent synthesis material.

After tossing six or seven stones and bones, and seeing no more pollen, Chen Gu grabbed a femur and struck at the grass.

No sooner had the bone struck than three tendrils shot out, wrapping around it. With a sharp tug, Chen Gu wrenched the Man-eating Vine from the ground.

He shook it vigorously. The vine, which moments before had writhed angrily, now hung limp in his hand, like a dead serpent.

“Just as the teacher said—so simple.”

Dragging the vine away from the thicket, Chen Gu examined his prize.

This was a three-year-old specimen, with three tendrils. It was an ordinary vine, as evidenced by the yellow flowers blooming beneath the tendrils—a sign of no mutation.

At its root hung a cluster of six red fruits, strung together like peanuts.

Chen Gu didn’t bother with the fruit. Instead, he opened the [Synthesis] interface and placed the Man-eating Vine together with the giant earthworm.

[Corrosive Earthworm] + [Man-eating Vine (complete)] = [??? (Success Rate: 76%)]

Glancing at the changes on the [Synthesis] screen, Chen Gu understood he had discovered a formula.

He immediately approved the synthesis.

In the next instant, the earthworm coiled on his arm dropped to the ground, and the vine’s three tendrils whipped around it.

Before Chen Gu could react, both vine and earthworm vanished into the rotting mud.

What had just happened? Did they simply run away?

Before he could process the event, a ring of glowing green magic symbols appeared on the ground, swiftly forming a magic circle over a meter in diameter.

Three tendrils emerged from the circle, waving before him.

Chen Gu noticed that each tendril bore a pale yellow blossom at its tip.

They didn’t grow together; instead, each shot up from the ground and claimed its own space.

He tried moving in one direction.

He soon realized that as he moved, the three tendrils followed him, trailing at his heels.

It had worked.

Chen Gu grasped the situation instantly and quickly checked the information.

[Pet synthesis complete. Obtained green-quality – Corpse-eating Vine]

[Pet Attributes]

Name: Corpse-eating Vine

Quality: Green

Type: Active Plant

Trait: Carrion Feeder

Level: 1

Stats: Attack 3, Defense 2, Health 100

Initial Skills: Underground Movement Lv.1 (can move freely underground); Corpse Feeding Lv.1 (can restore lost health by consuming corpses); Devour Lv.1 (can devour up to three enemies of level 3 or lower per day); Misty Pollen Lv.1 (can emit sleep-inducing pollen seven times per day)

Description: A special variant of Man-eating Vine, endowed with the vitality and abilities of an earthworm, allowing it to move freely underground.

Reading the description, Chen Gu’s eyes sparkled.

This was a fine pet—three daily devourings, seven pollen attacks.

If used cleverly, it could easily wipe out a squad of ordinary soldiers.

Most importantly, the synthesis was remarkably simple.

Man-eating Vines were everywhere, and Corrosive Earthworms could be easily dug from the ground.

With his [Unlimited Pet Synthesis] talent, Chen Gu could easily spend some time creating an entire horde of Corpse-eating Vines.

After all, plants were a unique category—they belonged neither to the undead nor the living.

In this lord’s world, there might be no living people, but there would always be plants.

With that in mind, Chen Gu sprang into action, turning his attention to the nearby thickets in search of more Man-eating Vines.