Basement.
Lynn, cloaked and breathing heavily, clutched his bleeding chest, gritting his teeth as he fumbled for a razor and, with a swift motion, slashed at his own legs.
Sweat dripped down his forehead in thick beads.
Too careless!
He had been far too careless!
When facing monsters of this caliber, he should have known better! They had countless ways to detect his location!
Experience.
His combat experience, his crisis-handling instincts—they were still too lacking!
If not for putting on the Bloodfiend’s Cloak at the last second, he wouldn’t have survived that moment.
----------------------------------------
[Bloodfiend’s Cloak]
[Rarity]: Rare
[Trait]: Conceals the wearer’s presence and allows them to phase through solid matter like a ghost.
[Description]: The formless, intangible nature of spirits has always been a source of fear in the hearts of men. Thus, the monsters of the Abyss crafted this cloak, granting its wearer a spectral existence. However, be warned—while wearing it, you lose all ability to attack.
----------------------------------------
Lynn clenched his teeth, pressing against his wounded chest, his eyes locked onto the basement door.
"I've been too complacent these past few days. I forgot what kind of world I’m really in... Death could come at any moment."
He spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, mixed with bits of internal flesh.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a Flesh Regeneration Elixir and poured it over his severed legs and punctured chest.
Grinding his teeth, his neck cracking as he tilted his head, he muttered:
"Having high constitution really comes in handy at times like this... I should really thank my mentor. If I hadn’t undergone that surgery back then, I’d be dead by now."
Crack… Crack…
The Flesh Regeneration Elixir began to take effect.
His torn chest and severed legs started mending at an unimaginable speed.
An elixir potent enough to work on a highly resistant fae displayed near-miraculous results on a human.
Within just a few breaths, Lynn’s body was restored to perfect condition.
Gasping for air, he stood up, rolling his shoulders and testing his previously battered frame.
At that exact moment, the system’s prompt rang in his ears.
[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level-1 Mutation!]
[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level-1 Mutation!]
[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level-2 Mutation!]
Splurt—
Splurt—
Two barbed tentacles sprouted from his back.
The skin on the nape of his neck split open, revealing a vertical eye that slowly blinked.
[Ding! System has detected three controllable mutations. Analyzing target…]
[Ding! Analysis complete!]
[Flesh Tentacles]: Connected to the nervous system, capable of voluntary extension and contraction.
[Spectral Vertical Eye]: Linked to visual nerves, able to see through obstructions and detect spectral energy.
----------------------------------------
His two tentacles unfurled, barbs gleaming menacingly as they hovered before him.
Lynn narrowed his eyes, muttering through clenched teeth:
"Maybe I can probe a little more... At least, this revolver did deal decent damage to that thing."
After all, it was a Demon Hunter’s weapon, a high-quality anti-demon firearm.
Click.
He flicked off the revolver’s safety.
And in the next instant, cloaked in Bloodfiend’s Cloak, he phased through the wall like a phantom.
With the Spectral Vertical Eye, Lynn immediately locked onto the grotesque mass of flesh in the corridor.
His focus sharpened to a razor’s edge.
He drifted through the walls effortlessly, ghostlike, inching closer to his prey.
Whoosh—
A streak of crimson flickered past the monster’s side.
The creature, now fully regenerated, slowly rotated its massive pupil, scanning the hallway. Its writhing limbs tensed, ready to strike at any moment.
Shing—
Behind it, a fleeting crimson blur.
In response, its back grotesquely split open, revealing a cluster of staring eyes.
Its attention instantly shifted to the corridor behind it.
But in that split second, from the alchemist’s workshop door, a pair of narrowed eyes emerged from the shadows.
"You’re finished."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Six shots fired.
Six Hunter Bullets tore through the door and struck the monster.
Crackle— Boom!
Sacred lightning exploded across the creature’s form.
The Demon Hunter’s Revolver was devastating against creatures of darkness. The holy energy infused in the bullets was anathema to most monsters.
Instantly, Lynn saw the beast’s movements become sluggish.
Reloading.
A golden opportunity.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Lynn drew his Boning Knife.
Just as he prepared to burst through the doorway, he saw something horrifying—
Six bulging eyeballs emerging from the bullet wounds, staring directly at him.
A sense of overwhelming dread washed over him.
"Shit!"
Without hesitation, Lynn threw on his cloak, attempting to phase through the wall.
But he was too late.
Those hollow gazes landed upon him.
Sizzle… Sizzle…
A low, sinister hum filled the air.
His skin, where those eyes had looked, began to dissolve, acrid smoke rising from the wounds.
A cursed gaze.
Gritting his teeth through searing pain, Lynn twisted his body, vanishing into the depths of the basement.
----------------------------------------
Huff— Huff—
In the darkness, Lynn panted heavily.
He cracked open another Flesh Regeneration Elixir, pouring it over his melting face and neck.
The crimson liquid hissed as it merged with his flesh, rapidly knitting his wounds.
At the same time, the system chimed again.
[Ding! You have undergone a Level-1 Mutation!]
[Ding! You have undergone a Level-1 Mutation!]
Splurt—
In the dim light, his shadow distorted as two enormous tentacles erupted from his back.
Lynn ignored them, his expression grim as he used his Spectral Vertical Eye to monitor the monster’s movements.
He watched as his six bullets were slowly pushed out from the creature’s regenerating flesh.
The holy energy crackling around it was fading rapidly.
In just two exchanges, it had adapted to the Hunter Bullets’ sacred damage?!
Or had it evolved into a new form specifically to counter him?!
"This is bad."
Lynn frowned.
His Demon Hunter’s Revolver was his greatest asset.
If the creature could now resist holy damage, not only was victory impossible—getting close was suicidal.
Steadying himself, he made his decision.
"I have to retreat and regroup."
Charging headlong into a losing battle wasn’t bravery—it was stupidity.
Especially for a mere Level 9 weakling like himself.
Clenching his jaw, Lynn phased through the walls, escaping into the outside world.
Yet just as he stepped beyond the alchemist’s shop, his Spectral Eye caught a flicker—the monster’s body shimmered and disappeared from his vision.
It had cloaked its presence?!
Lynn’s expression darkened.
Buzz—
An ominous force surged behind him.
Instinctively, he jerked sideways.
A massive hand, spectral and grotesque, burst through the ground, grazing his cheek and tearing open his skin.
It was the same cursed hand that had once pierced his heart.
And it was actually able to attack him even though he was wearing the Blood Fiend Cloak!
Bang!
Lynn’s body tumbled heavily across the street for more than ten meters.
He clutched his bloodied left eye, gritted his teeth, and quickly flipped over, dashing underground.
Like a ghost, he moved ceaselessly.
Swiftly, he pulled out a Flesh Regeneration Potion and poured it forcefully onto his wounded cheek.
Squelch—
The flesh rapidly healed.
[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 2 mutation!]
In an instant, his neck suddenly split open, revealing a new, sinister vertical eye.
Double pupils stacked!
And almost simultaneously, the aura of the vanished monster reappeared within the vision of his dual vertical eyes.
At that very moment, Lynn’s pupils contracted sharply.
He saw the ethereal, giant hand relentlessly pursuing him from behind.
The arm of that hand was still connected to the monster’s body, yet it was growing uncontrollably, ignoring the obstacles of the ground, and chasing after him persistently.
Moreover, because it was also in a wraith-like form, that giant hand could actually harm him despite his cloak!
Lynn could clearly see it—
One of the monster’s eyes above the ground was locked onto him, tracking his movements.
“Damn it!”
Lynn cursed under his breath.
The situation had suddenly flipped.
The advantage he had under the cloak’s form had now become his greatest weakness.
Because while in the cloak’s form, he couldn’t attack, not even fire a gun.
But that monstrous hand could attack him!
“I must find a way to shake it off!”
Lynn gritted his teeth, his eyes darting rapidly.
In an instant—
His gaze landed on the Blood Saw Apothecary.
Without any hesitation, with the help of his four tentacles, he pushed his speed to the extreme and burst into the shop from underground.
Crash—
He yanked off the cloak.
Like a spider, Lynn swiftly climbed up the walls using his tentacles and then dashed into his sleeping loft.
“Found it!”
Lynn yanked open the cabinet, his eyes falling on the shelves filled with potions.
But almost at the same moment, within Lynn’s wraith vision, the monstrous wraith hand suddenly burst through the floor, stabbing towards him with unstoppable force.
At that moment—
Lynn’s eyes narrowed sharply.
He raised the boning knife in his hand.
A glint of the blade flashed—
Slash!
The shelves full of potions shattered.
Green liquid splashed all over him, coating the crimson boning knife in his grip.
“F*ck you!”
At that moment, every muscle in his body tensed.
Both hands gripped the knife.
Using all his strength—
He stabbed downward at the floor!
And at the exact same time, the wailing wraith hand pierced through the floor.
The potion-coated blade instantly impaled the massive palm of the monstrous hand.
Sizzle—
A corrosive sound echoed, and the giant hand let out a shrieking baby-like wail.
Screech—
Screech—
And the spilled potions on the floor, like sulfuric acid, rapidly melted the flesh off the wraith hand.
[Wraith Manifestation Potion]
This was also a potion developed by his mentor, allowing physical beings to interact with wraiths and spirits!
As an apprentice—
He had stocked up plenty of this potion!
Because when dealing with all sorts of customers, he had to be well-prepared!
And now—
It was the perfect time to put these potions to use!
Slash!
Lynn viciously yanked out his boning knife and slashed at the monstrous arm.
Slash!
The cabinet toppled over, spilling its thick, viscous potions across the entire room.
The monstrous wraith arm slammed against the wall, twisting and contorting, its surface smoldering like burnt flesh.
Lynn gasped heavily, not hesitating for a second.
He immediately reached out to grab more potions from the cabinet, knowing that this was no place to linger—he had to—
Stab!
A sharp, flesh-piercing sound rang out.
Lynn’s pupils dilated abruptly, his throat tightening.
Behind him—
A thin hand, emerging from the potion-soaked floor, had pierced straight through the back of his neck and grasped his spine.
Scarlet blood dripped, one drop at a time.
The vertical eye on the back of Lynn’s neck trembled violently—
Because he recognized the hand.
He knew it well!
Because—
It was the fairy’s hand!
And in that instant, he recalled why she had come to the apothecary.
She had said she encountered a giant, barely escaping after nearly having her head bitten off, losing an arm in the process.
So—
The giant she encountered was—
It!
Which meant—after devouring her arm, that monster had developed an extremely strong resistance to potions.
The usual potions had no effect on that hand at all!
Despair!
An overwhelming despair crashed down upon him!
But just as that hand was about to rip his spine apart—
Lynn threw his head back and roared, channeling every drop of his blood into his four tentacles.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
The four tentacles instantly coiled and stabbed into the hand gripping his spine.
Crack!
Even so—
Cracks formed along his spine.
But Lynn’s desperate counterattack worked. The hand faltered, its grip loosening.
Seizing the moment, Lynn wrenched himself free from its grasp.
With a snarl—
He swung his boning knife.
Slash!
The arm—along with his own four tentacles—was severed in one blow.
The small hand thudded heavily to the ground.
Yet it continued crawling, shrieking incessantly.
Gritting his teeth, Lynn mustered the last of his strength and slammed the knife down, pinning the writhing hand to the floor.
And then—
He collapsed against the cabinet, drained.
He didn’t even have time to use a Flesh Regeneration Potion—
Because in his wraith vision, the monstrous entity had already returned to the apothecary’s entrance.
The situation was dire.
At the last possible moment—
Lynn reached his blood-soaked hand into his cloak and grasped his ultimate trump card.
[The Heart of the Faceless Demon!]
Lynn’s mind instantly visualized the creature, his wraith vision locking onto the monster below.
“Let’s play.”
He grinned grimly.
Creak—
In an instant, his five fingers plunged into the heart.
A surge of inky blackness burst forth like a torrential flood.
Countless wailing spirits shrieked within the heart.
And almost at the same time—
Below—
The massive monster froze.
The gigantic eyeball on its grotesque body constricted sharply.
For a split second—
Its core suffered an unimaginable blow.
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
The many pitch-black pupils covering its body exploded one by one.
Its uncontrolled limbs twisted wildly, clawing and tearing at itself.
From its bloated form, countless distorted human faces surfaced, their screams forming grotesque protrusions, as if something within was desperately trying to break free.
“Core heart… subjected to unknown effects…”
“Divine resistance failing… Wraith perception failing… Cellular restraint weakening… Curse suppression weakening…”
“Initiating emergency repairs… Countdown: 20… 19… 18…”