[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary":3,"chapter-an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-chapter-18":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","An Improper Monster Girl's Transformation Diary",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2311947,4517,"Chapter 18: The Whole Act!","an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>“Strange, how did this place change like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember last time I came here with the High Priest, it wasn’t this dark.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert held the ancient lantern, frowning slightly as he stared at the darkness ahead, visibility less than a meter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, after attempting to conquer Freime, he had passed through the Deep Water Prison of the second zone and entered the third zone of the Alien Prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Prison of No Light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this utterly pitch-black space, two dangerous demons were imprisoned—one Dark Elf Archmage, and one Vampire Prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, Herbert hadn’t seen either of these demon ladies last time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, the High Priest had simply walked through here without greeting the prisoners, heading straight into the fourth zone: the Lava Hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t dared to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Herbert’s first serious exploration of the place—and he realized the situation might not be as simple as he’d thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised the lantern above his head; its feeble light barely dispelled the darkness within a one-meter radius. Beyond that, thick darkness swallowed everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could not see. Could not hear. Could not smell—nothing could be perceived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who turned off the lights? Go call a Holy Knight to turn them on… oh, right, I’m the Holy Knight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where the hell is my Holy Light?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert tried every method he could think of, and finally discovered only the glow from his Sacred Scar could dispel the darkness—and even then, only by a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It extended his visibility to a staggering—two meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was completely useless!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this place were just dark, it wouldn’t have left Herbert feeling so lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem now was—he was lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert hadn’t found so much as a shadow of either demon lady, let alone the path to the fourth zone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had walked silently for over ten minutes with the lantern, yet still hadn’t reached the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone wasn’t so bad—he could just keep going; eventually he’d reach the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was—he might never reach the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because whenever he turned around, he could see the path he’d come from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He… had been walking in place the whole time!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tch, after encountering the Spirit Pen, now I’m stuck in a ghost circle?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being sent back to the same spot for the third time, Herbert finally gave up blindly trudging and began seriously analyzing his situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The laws here… seem to have changed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Prison of No Light—vision is blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only retreat is allowed. No forward progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each prison in the Mist Monastery is a specially carved semi-plane. Though it appears to meet the prisoner’s needs, each has unique restrictive laws behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the Deep Water Prison severely restricted Freime—under normal conditions, all water elements were drained from the cell, leaving the legendary sea beast barely able to maintain a water sphere just large enough to hold herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now it seemed the restrictions here had shifted—to target him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is that right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s backwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert narrowed his eyes, thoughts flashing through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he wasn’t mistaken, something had changed here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the situation wasn’t yet at its worst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if the opponent could truly manipulate the laws, he would already be dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent hadn’t appeared, hadn’t communicated with him at all—as if nothing had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this a tactic to avoid alarming me, hoping I’ll give up on my own?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as they don’t show themselves, I’ll assume it’s my own fault?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That… makes sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Herbert were truly just a noble youth who’d just become a Holy Knight, he would’ve hesitated here, convinced he lacked the strength and retreated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert paused, nodded, and without hesitation turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When in doubt, retreat first!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to rush—focus on the Dragon and the Mermaid Young Lady for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Explore this zone later!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Herbert was about to pass through the barrier and return to the Deep Water Prison, his steps slowed, then stopped completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True, he was currently weak, helpless, but he could eat—yes, he truly couldn’t defeat the opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But still!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m the warden. You’re the prisoner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert turned back, staring into the impenetrable darkness, scowling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who gave you the right to ride on my head?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if his protest might be useless, if he just walked away quietly, he’d feel his mind was blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even street thugs know to throw out a threat before leaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m the warden—I must do something before I go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t bite a lighter—there isn’t even one… hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert turned back, studying the darkness ahead, suddenly sensing something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed the lantern on the ground, walked slowly to the edge where light met darkness, and squinted at the unnaturally smooth boundary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking for a moment, he cautiously extended one finger and lightly touched the edge of the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His finger felt nothing; when he pulled it back, it hadn’t turned to bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of silence, he turned and extinguished the lantern, then hesitated before shutting off his Sacred Scar as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he felt himself passively merging into the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swallowed by nothingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Devoured by solitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet strangely, beyond these sensations, Herbert felt no discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was no different from the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness, Herbert’s eyes glowed brightly, faintly overlaid with a thin golden sheen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he still saw nothing, he faintly “perceived” the path ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he felt a distinct sense of being watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness, someone had been observing every move he made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hum—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Sacred Scar flared instantly; the feeling of being watched vanished, as if it had all been an illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Herbert wouldn’t be so naive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled broadly, facing the darkness, waving his hand and calling out loudly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll be back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for any reply, he picked up the lantern and strode away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he left, the darkness returned to stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long moments passed before a faint, quiet laugh emerged from the dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He left so decisively.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh… interesting fellow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understand what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, Herbert understood nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t comprehend the details of the changes in the third zone—but that didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t need to know why—only that something was wrong was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what he needed to do next was clear…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Report it. Must report it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1073,"2026-06-20T12:31:06.198Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e9f157ab79436ad67580a4ff732c6c91a0072303838a9b88592e6c7c688e883a","an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-chapter-19","an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-chapter-17",453,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fan-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-cover.jpg"]