The Black Knight, who had traveled so far, leapt off his warhorse.

He drew his grotesque giant sword from his back, his cold, indifferent eyes flashing with strands of chilling light beneath his helmet.

With a hoarse and grim voice, he raised his sword, pointing it at the Demon Hunter, and said:

"Enough talk, today, it’s either you die or I die!"

The Demon Hunter burst into laughter, a mocking grin on his face, and sneered:

"Hahaha! You? Do you really think so? You were no match for me decades ago, and you're still not now. You’ve traveled all this way just to die by my blade?"

"If that's the case, I’m happy to oblige!"

In an instant, he drew his Demon Hunter’s long knife, flames erupted from the blade,

The wind howled around him, his cloak billowing as a cruel, icy smile spread across his face.

"Who falls today is yet to be decided!"

The Black Knight’s eyes gleamed.

Snap—

He flicked his finger and popped the cork of the potion bottle.

He downed the potion in one gulp.

Then, he smashed the bottle on the ground.

"Come!" He narrowed his eyes, readying his stance.

"Potion?" The Demon Hunter smiled faintly and said, "It’s useless, Black Knight. No matter how many potions you take, the gap between us is insurmountable. You can never defeat me. But I’m still happy to give you this one chance…"

Ding—

The Demon Hunter paused, instinctively raising his head, his eyes landing on the Black Knight's helmet.

Was it his imagination? He thought he saw something inside the helmet flash briefly.

It even seemed to come with a peculiar sound effect…

Ding—

It flashed again?!

The Demon Hunter's expression turned uncertain as he squinted and said:

"It seems like you've prepared some powerful hidden weapon to deal with me?"

The Black Knight rasped, "You think I’m like you? Hell’s knights never rely on those petty tricks!"

Ding ding—

The Black Knight: "..."

The Demon Hunter: "???"

Both of them heard the clear 'ding' sounds.

The Black Knight clenched his fists, eyes shut, his eyelids twitching violently.

"What is that?" The Demon Hunter asked with increasing doubt.

"Your helmet just flashed again."

The Black Knight gritted his teeth, closing his eyes, "You only need to know, it’s not a hidden weapon..."

Ding ding ding—

The Black Knight: "..."

The Demon Hunter: "???"

A gentle breeze blew.

"Magic Bomb?" The Demon Hunter's suspicion grew.

"No!" The Black Knight’s fists were grinding, veins bulging on his temples.

"Holy Scroll?" The Demon Hunter was now even more suspicious.

"No!" The Black Knight was grinding his teeth furiously.

"Then what is it?" The Demon Hunter’s curiosity was fully piqued.

The wind howled around the Black Knight as he stood there, eyes shut, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

Snap—

He finally removed his helmet, revealing a shiny, gleaming bald head underneath.

Ding—

The smooth, round head flashed brightly.

The Demon Hunter: "Holy shit! That’s one flashy bald head! (ΩДΩ)!"

The Black Knight stared at his own hands, his muscles bulging as he gritted his teeth:

"This is the small price I paid to defeat you!"

Ding—

"Though I’m bald, I’ve gotten stronger!"

Ding ding—

"As that human kid would say, my critical strike is maxed out!"

"Ding ding ding—"

He raised his giant sword, glaring with fury at the Demon Hunter, dark energy swirling around him like flames.

In an instant, he charged forward like a primal beast, roaring with rage.

"And on this day, next year, will be your funeral!"

He howled, leaping a hundred meters, bringing his giant sword down with crushing force toward the Demon Hunter.

The Demon Hunter: "(ΩДΩ)!!"

...

An hour later.

In Soul Alley.

Knock knock knock—

A knock came at the door once more.

"Welcome!" Lynn immediately put on a professional smile, lifting his head to greet the customer at the door.

But upon seeing the figure, Lynn froze.

It was a familiar face.

[Demon Hunter, Ocalos (Severely Injured)]

[Race]: Human

[Level: ???]

[Combat Ability]: Severely Injured, near death

The Demon Hunter stood there, clutching his blood-soaked chest, his body riddled with tearing wounds. He gasped heavily, leaning against the doorframe, with blood dripping from his fingers.

"Damn, it’s only been one day, how the hell did you get so badly hurt again?!"

Lynn stared at him, shocked.

"Enough talking," the Demon Hunter gritted his teeth, clutching his chest tightly, "Hurry up and treat me! The faster, the better! I’ll pay you double!"

[Ding! You have triggered a task: Treat the Demon Hunter's injuries. Task rewards: 200 Skull Coins, +300 Base Experience, +20 Demon Hunter Affection.]

Lynn stared wide-eyed, quickly moving toward the door to help the Demon Hunter inside.

"You’re seriously injured!"

The Demon Hunter struggled to remove his hat, panting heavily, with rage and frustration showing in his eyes.

"I ran into an old subordinate today. He was never a match for me before, but today, I don’t know what kind of cursed potion he took, and now he’s crazily strong!"

"Every hit was a critical strike! Damn it!"

He cursed, his chest heaving with frustration as he slammed a fist onto the counter.

Lynn: "???"

If it weren’t for his quick escape,

He probably would’ve died at that bastard’s hands today.

He painfully rubbed his dry, bloodshot eyes.

Especially that damn flashing bald head.

Every time he focused to strike, that shiny, smooth forehead would flash in his face.

Not only did it seriously disrupt his concentration, but it was blinding as hell!

That guy…

He must’ve enchanted his bald head with some holy power!

"That damn bald bastard! (艹皿艹)"

"It must’ve been because of that damn potion. If I find out who gave him that cursed potion, I’ll tear them apart and chew them up!!"

He smacked the counter angrily, wincing from the pain in his wounds.

Lynn: "..."

Could he possibly be talking about me?

Did that Black Knight buy the potion from me just to deal with this Demon Hunter guy?

Why do I feel like things are suddenly getting dangerous again?!

Lynn widened his eyes and said, "Wait here, I’ll go grab a stronger recovery potion from the back."

"Go quick!"

The Demon Hunter was boiling with anger, clearly agitated.

Lynn let out a breath, quickly lifting the curtain and heading for the back yard.

It seemed like the Demon Hunter hadn’t suspected him, after all, a small potion shop in the middle of nowhere couldn’t possibly have such powerful potions, right?

As long as he didn’t find out, everything would be fine!

Otherwise, it’s time to make a quick escape…

...

In the main hall.

The Demon Hunter sat at the counter, gritting his teeth as he rubbed his bruised body.

He grabbed several recovery potions from the counter, drinking them down in quick succession, feeling much better afterward.

He glanced around the room.

But just then, his gaze was drawn to an empty bottle sitting in the corner of the counter.

Buzz—

In an instant,

His expression froze in place.

"This is…"

He reached out to pick up the empty bottle, and immediately, his mind flashed back to an hour ago when he had faced that bald bastard, who had drunk that potion from a bottle exactly like this one.

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It… looked exactly the same!

Could it be...

His expression froze in disbelief.

And just at that moment, Lynn cheerfully strolled out of the backyard, carrying several bottles of high-grade healing potions.

"Hey, old man, one bottle for 200 Skull Coins. No surgery needed, just pop it, and you'll be as lively as a dragon! Hehe~"

Bang—

A bullet whizzed past Lynn’s ear, barely missing him.

Lynn: "???"

The demon hunter lunged forward in a flash, grabbing Lynn by the collar, his teeth clenched as he growled:

"You little brat, you were playing innocent, huh? I didn’t expect it at all—so it was you who provided that bald guy with the potion?!"

Lynn looked utterly confused. "What potion? I don’t understand a word you’re saying."

The demon hunter’s anger flared immediately. "You’re still pretending? I saw that bald guy take a potion right before our showdown, and the bottle looked exactly like the one on your counter!!"

Lynn’s face blanked.

Lynn cleared his throat. Realizing the gig was up, he decided to drop the act and asked with genuine curiosity:

"That bald guy... is he a black knight riding a warhorse?"

The demon hunter, his grip tightening on Lynn’s collar, sneered: "What do you think?"

Lynn shut his eyes, maintaining perfect composure, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"I see.

"A few hours ago, that customer did come to my store and spent a lot of money on potions. Quite wealthy, you know? Contributed a whole ‘W’ to my shop’s revenue! Haha~"

He said this with the utmost seriousness, as though completely detached from the situation.

The demon hunter gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with anger. "What kind of potion did you give him?"

Lynn saw an opportunity for a pitch.

A professional smile appeared on his face in an instant. "Ah, it’s a brand-new product from our store—an explosive crit potion that massively boosts your combat ability! Affordable and high-quality, a must-have for anyone looking to conquer and kill!

"Believe me! You won’t find anything like it anywhere else!"

Lynn adjusted his monocle, his expression dead serious.

The demon hunter scowled, his eyes narrowing. "So you’re helping a dark creature to mess with your own kind?!"

Lynn raised his hand, shaking his head earnestly. "Please, don’t make assumptions, sir. First of all, I didn’t know your relationship. Second, he came to my shop asking for powerful potions and paid generously. I had no reason to turn him away."

"And third—"

Lynn closed his eyes, raising three fingers.

"Our shop is open to all friendly customers. If he can buy these potions to deal with you, well, you could buy them to deal with him, too!"

Lynn gazed sincerely at the demon hunter, his eyes full of conviction.

"I’ll even give you a 20% discount, considering you’re one of my loyal customers!"

"..."

"..."

There was a brief silence.

The demon hunter narrowed his eyes. "How much?"

Lynn, with the utmost sincerity, raised two fingers. "2000 Skull Coins per bottle! But, seeing as you’re a valued, long-time customer, I’ll give you the special price—1600 Coins per bottle! It’s practically a steal!"

The demon hunter’s gaze shifted as he thought it over, then hesitated.

"Or… I could just kill you now, take your shop, and be done with it…"

Lynn closed his eyes and shook his head. "Sir, we’re of the same kin! It’s like family—you know, blood is thicker than water! We’re not just family, we’re more than that! It’s a bond that runs deeper than anything!"

"And besides, I’m even giving you a discount…" Lynn looked heartbroken.

The demon hunter’s skin crawled.

He realized, after a whole day without seeing this guy, Lynn’s knack for making people sick had improved exponentially.

"Enough talk!" The demon hunter gritted his teeth, rubbing his temples. "How many did that bald guy buy? Give me the same amount! I have plenty of coin!"

"Got it!" Lynn’s face lit up with glee.

...

Ten minutes later.

[ Ding! Task completed: Heal the Demon Hunter’s wounds. Reward: 200 Skull Coins, 300 base experience, Demon Hunter Affection +20 ]

"Done!"

With a satisfied grin, Lynn placed ten freshly prepared bottles of crit potions on the counter.

"Ten bottles, 160,000 Coins, or 16 Black Skull Coins, plus six regular healing potions for 300 Coins each, and two special recovery potions for 600 Coins each. Total equals 1.69 million Coins."

"I’ll round it up to an even 170,000 Coins. Thank you for your business!"

Lynn bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

The demon hunter gritted his teeth and began to pull out coins from his pouch, clinking them into the counter.

He didn’t really know why, but there was a feeling in his gut… that this guy was probably trying to scam him.

After paying, he eyed the potions warily.

"These… will they really make me bald?"

Honestly, he was still a bit hesitant.

His dark, shiny hair had taken years to cultivate, and he wasn’t eager to lose it.

Lynn, however, was dead serious. "Losing hair is nothing—being strong is everything! And besides, it’s just hair, right? If you lose it, you can always come back to me, and I’ll give you a transplant!"

Lynn suddenly thought of a great business opportunity.

Crit potions + hair transplant services = a continuous stream of money.

The demon hunter hesitated.

But when he remembered how close he had come to dying at the hands of that black knight, who was clearly weaker than him, his frustration built up.

If going bald could make him stronger, well, maybe it wasn’t such a bad trade-off.

With a resigned sigh, he uncorked the bottle.

He drank it in one go.

Whoosh—

In an instant, his body was bathed in a red glow.

His face contorted in surprise, then he immediately felt a surge of indescribable power coursing through him.

"This... What is this?" he gasped, his breath coming in ragged bursts.

With a massive explosion, his clothes ripped apart, revealing his bulging muscles.

He could clearly feel the immense boost to his body!

It was almost unimaginable!

And in that moment, he finally understood the unbelievable potency of the potion. Honestly, losing his hair was nothing compared to this strength!

A gust of wind blew past.

As Lynn stared, he saw the demon hunter’s glossy, beautiful black hair get swept away.

Ding—

A bright flash shone from his now-bald head.

Lynn: "Pfft—"

But he bit his lip and held back the laughter.

Because he knew, laughing would get him killed.

But still, it was hard to resist.

Because the bald head in front of him? It was even shinier and rounder than the last one!

The demon hunter turned to look at himself in the mirror, gazing at his now-glossy, bald head. He murmured,

"I’m bald… but I’m stronger?"

Ding—

A light flashed off his shiny forehead.

"..."

Watching the demon hunter’s stunned expression, Lynn patted his shoulder comfortingly, saying,

"Hey, old man, this is actually a good thing! Just think about it—you’ll always have your own personal light source when you go out. That saves a lot on lighting costs, doesn’t it?"

He sounded so reasonable.

But for some reason, the demon hunter felt an overwhelming urge to just kill this human brat.