They rested peacefully for half an hour.
Lynn leaned against the cellar wall with his eyes closed and sighed, "How about... we just coexist peacefully for now? What do you think?"
The left hand (???) responded, "Seems like a good suggestion."
"There's no point in continuing to fight."
"I agree."
"Having two consciousnesses in one body... actually, now that I think about it, it’s something I can accept!"
"Yes (???)"
"…"
"…"
A brief silence.
Clang—
The two knives collided instantly.
With sparks flying, Lynn (艹皿艹) angrily shouted, "I knew you were trying to sneak attack me! Good thing I reacted quickly! I didn’t expect you to be this malicious!"
The left hand (〃＞皿＜) pushed the knife forward forcefully, "You were the one who tried to chop me when I wasn’t looking! You’re the malicious one! I’ll kill you! You’re finished!"
Clang— Clang— Clang—
Lynn and the left hand resumed their intense knife battle.
Just then.
Thud thud thud—
There was a knock on the door.
"Is anyone in? I need treatment!"
[Ding! You triggered the quest: Diagnose the illness. Quest reward: 200 Skull Coins, 100 base experience, special reward x1]
Hearing the prompt, Lynn immediately reacted. While fiercely clashing knives with his left hand, he yelled, "Coming! Please come in, customer!"
Without a second word, Lynn quickly rushed to the operating room, hurriedly put on pants, and threw on a lab coat.
"If it weren’t for the customer, I’d chop you right now!"
"You’re the malicious one! If anyone’s chopping, it’ll be me first!"
Clang— Clang—
Lynn quickly ran to the front area and immediately saw the figure of a goat-headed humanoid creature walking in through the door.
[Goat-headed Monster]
[Race]: Alien Creature
[Alignment]: Chaotic Neutral
[Combat Ability]: Powerful close combat abilities!
[Description]: A wandering alien creature from the dark world. They believe themselves to be descendants of the unspeakable forest demon Shab Nikolai, but most believe this is a stretch. Undoubtedly, they are similar to creatures like pig demons and dog-headed monsters in this world...
When Lynn saw him, the goat-headed monster also saw the human boy running toward him with two knives. He froze for a moment. He didn’t quite understand what the human with two knives was doing.
Is this a robbery?
He subconsciously glanced at the worn-out sign outside the shop: [Blood Saw Apothecary].
This should be an apothecary, right?
And in the next moment.
Clang clang clang—
The sound of clashing blades startled him.
He stared wide-eyed at the human with two knives, furiously swinging them in both directions. He nervously swallowed and said, "Uh… that..."
"Welcome!"
Lynn immediately turned his head, seamlessly switching to a friendly, professional smile, "I’m the assistant here. The boss is out, so I’m the boss. How can I help you, customer?"
Then, without missing a beat, he (〝▼皿▼) resumed fiercely battling his left hand.
[Goat-headed Monster Sanity -1]
The goat-headed monster was stunned, swallowing nervously as he leaned against the pillar and said, "I’m an outsider… uh, I think I’m a bit ill. I heard this place is known for its good people, and I just happened to pass by, so… uh... I thought I might check if I could see a doctor..."
Clang clang clang—
Sparks flew.
(艹皿艹) Lynn quickly turned his head, seamlessly switching to a friendly smile, "You came to the right place! To be honest, we’re the only apothecary within a hundred miles, so you’ll definitely get treated here!"
"Don’t worry! Whatever illness you have, I guarantee we’ll cure you!"
Clang clang clang—
Lynn instantly turned back, (〝▼皿▼) intensifying the pressure on his left hand.
The goat-headed monster was trembling inside.
Something’s off!
Something’s definitely off!
This apothecary feels completely different from any regular one!
Nervously leaning against the wall, he stared and began retreating, "Uh... I think... you’ve got some things to take care of, so maybe... maybe I’ll come back some other time?"
As he said that, he immediately turned around.
Whoosh—
A knife instantly brushed the goat-headed monster’s forehead and lodged into the wall just in front of him.
Goat-headed Monster: (ΩДΩ)!!!
It was only two centimeters away!
[Goat-headed Monster Sanity -5]
[Goat-headed Monster Sanity -5]
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Sorry, sorry!"
Lynn immediately looked apologetic.
He quickly dodged the slashing knives coming from his left hand, ran to the monster’s side, pulled the knife from the wall, and resumed clashing blades with his left hand.
Lynn turned his head and smiled apologetically, "Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare you."
The goat-headed monster trembled, dazed, "Uh… no… no… I mean… was that really just a slip of the hand?"
It didn’t seem like it!
It felt like the knife was thrown because he showed signs of wanting to leave!
"Yes, just a slip of the hand. Actually, when I heard you were about to leave, I got a little distracted, which made me misjudge and cause the knife to fly out." Lynn explained apologetically.
The goat-headed monster (ΩДΩ).
Really?
Why does it feel like this explanation is ridiculously unbelievable!
"Don’t be afraid! Please, come in! Honestly, you’re the first customer we’ve had today. It really excites me!"
Lynn friendly cleared the path, pulled out a stool from behind the broken counter with his foot, and said softly, "We’ve recently renovated, but I guarantee that despite the simplicity, we have everything a medical shop should have. Don’t worry! We’ll make sure you have a pleasant experience!"
Clang clang clang—
Lynn turned his head instantly and (艹皿艹) fiercely clashed blades with his left hand again.
The goat-headed monster stood there, dazed.
Can it really be a pleasant experience?
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
The goat-headed monster swallowed nervously, trembling, "Uh... I was wondering... could I step outside for a bit? I think I might have been a bit impolite entering with my left foot first…"
Lynn showed a regretful expression and said, "Oh, I see... Are you not planning to be treated here?"
The goat-headed monster stood still, dazed, "What if I say yes? What happens then?"
Lynn flashed a friendly smile and said, "Nothing at all. After all, the customer is king. The customer has the right to choose!"
Then, Lynn immediately turned his head, (〝▼皿▼) and furiously swung his knives at his left hand with even more ferocity than before.
"I’ll kill you! I’ll x your x, I’ll kill you!"
The goat-headed monster: (((;???;)))
[Goat-headed Monster Sanity -5]
[Goat-headed Monster Sanity -5]
Why does he have two faces?!
Something wasn’t right!
Why on earth was he spouting words like "I’ll chop you to bits" while acting like he was fighting himself?
Logically speaking, it seemed like there was no one else here but me.
Was he subtly implying something about me?
Is this really the infamous Ghost Alley?!
The people here are so wholesome—this is insane!
The Goat-Headed Monster nervously glanced at the door, then at the two sparking knives he was holding, each in a different hand.
After weighing the situation, he decided to just wait and see.
His legs tightly squeezed together as he sat on the small bench, his hands trembling as they rested on his knees.
“Uh... um...” the Goat-Headed Monster stammered, “Boss... if you don’t mind me asking... why are you fighting with two knives? Is it for training some powerful combat technique?”
Lynn paused for a moment.
“No, not at all,” he said with a grin. “I just want to chop off my left hand, hehe.”
The Goat-Headed Monster froze, visibly trembling. “Wh-why?!!”
Lynn turned toward him, his expression cold as he began fiercely hacking at his left hand with the knives. “Well, it’s a bit complicated. Let’s just say this hand isn’t a good one. It likes to eat people!”
“It tried to eat me earlier. If I don’t control it, who knows, it might even try to eat you!”
Suddenly, Lynn spun around with a warm smile. “But don’t worry, with me here, it won’t hurt you!”
“!!!”
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster's fear level +10]
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster's fear level +10]
The Goat-Headed Monster sat frozen, legs trembling, as his mind raced.
Is this guy for real?!
Why does it feel like he’s subtly hinting he wants to kill me?!
You can't bully me just because I'm from out of town!
Even if I’m not that smart, you shouldn’t be treating me like this!
This must be a shady business!
If I don’t get out of here, I might really end up as a victim!
And why would someone open a shop in the dark world, with humans no less? It’s obvious something’s wrong here!
Let’s go!
The thought of escape once again crept into his mind.
“Um... boss?” he said, his voice shaky, “When are you going to treat me? Maybe you should prepare first?”
Lynn’s eyes lit up with joy. “Oh, you’ve chosen to be treated at our store? Great choice, customer! You’ve made a wise decision!”
“No need to wait too long. I’ll start the diagnosis right now!”
Without missing a beat, Lynn spun back around, knives still clashing, and started rummaging through the counter for his stethoscope.
Clang—clang—clang—
The Goat-Headed Monster was visibly panicking. He wanted to shout, “You’re obviously trying to kill me! What is this?!” But he couldn’t make himself move.
If I stay any longer, I must be out of my mind!
This is a shady shop!
I’m outta here!
While Lynn's back was turned, the Goat-Headed Monster swiftly stood up, trying to make no noise as he crept toward the door.
But just as he reached the threshold, a loud clang rang out from behind him, followed by a bellow.
“Trying to escape?! I won’t let you go! Do you think you can hide from me?!”
Swish—swish—
The sound of knives slicing through the air.
“Ghost Alley is full of my neighbors. If I can’t chop you up, I’ll have my neighbor come over to do it!”
The Goat-Headed Monster froze in terror, not daring to move.
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster’s sanity -10]
Uh...
“What? You think just because you’ve got a knife, you’re my match? I’ve chopped off a hand before, and it could loop around the entire Ghost Alley a dozen times!”
The Goat-Headed Monster quickly retracted his hand from the knife, wide-eyed.
“No, no, I was just... checking...”
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster’s sanity -10]
“Be careful,” Lynn said darkly, eyes narrowed. “If you behave, I might spare you for now. But if you don’t listen... don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
With a knife at his chest, Lynn ground his teeth, facing off with his left hand, which was also gripping a knife dangerously.
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster’s sanity -30!!]
Taking advantage of the moment, Lynn turned his head with a smile and pointed the knife at the stethoscope.
“Let’s begin, customer,” he said sweetly.
The Goat-Headed Monster, still trembling, sat back down on the small bench, legs pressed tightly together. His head nodded quickly, almost involuntarily.
“Okay... I’ll do whatever you say... ugh.”
A few minutes later...
The Goat-Headed Monster trembled as he sat before the counter, pressing the stethoscope against his chest, while Lynn, eyes closed, held his knives in a deadlock with his left hand, which was still dangerously gripped around one of the blades.
It was far less intense than their previous struggle, but the tension in the air was still palpable.
After a while, Lynn furrowed his brow, and the Goat-Headed Monster’s heart skipped a beat.
“Doctor, did you find something wrong?” he asked, his voice filled with dread.
He wasn’t worried about his condition anymore—just about when Lynn might decide to, you know, start chopping his organs.
Lynn looked up, seriousness in his expression. “Your heartbeat is irregular. Looks like you’ve recently experienced a major shock, which caused an adrenaline spike. But nothing too serious...”
The Goat-Headed Monster stared, wide-eyed. “I... what kind of shock are you talking about?”
Lynn kept his gaze steady. “You have dark circles under your eyes, lack of focus, and your lips are turning a bit blue. This is likely a sign of poisoning…”
“If you were poisoned and then received more stress, your blood circulation might accelerate, which could become life-threatening.”
The Goat-Headed Monster froze. “(ΩДΩ)!!”
This doctor was joking, right?
“Did you visit a place filled with miasma recently?”
The Goat-Headed Monster slowly pulled up his sleeve, revealing scratches all over his arm.
“No, I wasn’t attacked. Just got scratched by vines in a swamp. I bandaged it up, didn’t think much of it.”
[System Alert: Special toxin "Human-Faced Vine" has been recorded in the database.]
Lynn’s eyes flickered as he quickly engaged in a silent battle with his left hand. Then he immediately scanned the information that appeared on his screen.
His expression switched to calm. “Human-Faced Vine. A highly poisonous plant found in cold, damp areas. It usually lies dormant underground, waiting to ambush passing creatures.”
“The toxin has a long incubation period, so it generally isn’t fatal.”
The Goat-Headed Monster blinked. “So, not fatal in most cases?”
Lynn nodded. “Well, in unusual cases, it can be.”
He quickly scanned through the data again. “The key is to avoid further stress. Keep calm and prevent your heart rate from rising. You need to stay peaceful to stop your blood pressure from increasing.”
But just as Lynn turned his focus to the screen—
Whoosh—
The Goat-Headed Monster’s left hand suddenly swelled several times in size, its sharp fangs emerging, and before anyone could react, it tried to bite down on Lynn’s head.
“Momma!!”
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster’s fear level +10]
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster’s fear level +10]
Lynn immediately hardened his neck, preventing it from snapping, and kicked out, pushing against the jaw of the monster’s giant mouth with all his might.
“If the venom is already spreading,” Lynn gritted through his teeth, “your body will start to exude a strange scent. This attracts evil creatures to devour you!”
“But don’t worry, our shop is safe. No evil creatures here!”
The Goat-Headed Monster sat frozen, his face covered in the slimy, sticky tongue of the left hand.
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster’s fear level +50]
[System Alert: Goat-Headed Monster’s fear level +50]
Lynn quickly checked the data again. “If the scent is widespread and it attracts evil creatures, immediate bloodletting is necessary. Any delay could be fatal!”
Under the crushing pressure, the Goat-Headed Monster drew a small knife and stabbed it into his own thigh.
Blood spurted out.
“Wait!” Lynn shouted. “I made a mistake! You should drink water and recovery potions instead. Bloodletting is not the right solution!”
The Goat-Headed Monster stared, first at Lynn, then at his bleeding leg.
Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!