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Chapter 56
🕑 Added 2023-12-26 07:45:03 +0000 UTCSmack—
Lynne delivered another slap to his hand.
[Ding! Hidari's Favorbility towards you -1.]
An "╬" symbol surfaced above Lynne's head. He closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. And then...
Smack smack smack smack smack smack smack—
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
With those rapid slaps creating afterimages, a series of system notifications kept ringing beside Lynne's ear.
Finally, with a loud cry, Hidari opened its mouth wide and bit onto Lynne's right hand, shouting, "Stop slapping! Stop it! I said not to wake me, but you never considered whether I could bear it or not, and you just kept smacking..."
Not giving him a chance to make excuses, Lynne firmly grasped two of Hidari's fingers and said sternly, "Hidari, you're not chickening out, are you?"
Hidari's fingers twitched, revealing a (ŎдŎ;) expression, and responded, "Cow...cowardly? What...what strange words are you saying? Would I ever be cowardly? That's a joke! I...I fear neither heaven nor earth, even if it's a massive head or whatever... this hand is also..."
Apparently catching wind of the peculiar conversation above, Little, moving at breakneck speed, delicately removed her eyeball and lifted it with a tentacle, curiously looking at Lynne and said, "Doctor— I heard— voices—"
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Seeing the lifted eyeball, Hidari instantly puffed up in terror, (ΩДΩ), quickly pulling Lynne's arm behind him, seeking refuge behind Lynne's shoulder, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
[Ding! Hidari's fear of Little +10]
[Ding! Hidari's fear of Little +10]
Accompanied by the intermittent system notifications, Little tilted her eyeball curiously and asked, "Hm?"
"It's nothing. Don't mind it, Little. My left hand is just a bit shy. You'll get used to it."
Lynne replied with closed eyes, a slight smile gracing his lips.
"Oh—," Little remarked in wonder. She promptly retracted her tentacle. The idea that the doctor's left hand could move on its own and even fear her wasn't surprising to her. After all, just as she had many tentacles, it was perfectly normal for the doctor to have a moving left hand.
Feeling the trembling of his left hand, Lynne, with a mischievous smirk, grasped his left wrist and brought it in front of him, saying,
"Hidari, you're shaking, aren't you?"
His left hand, sporting a (ó﹏ò) expression, had its pinkie and thumb hug the palm and protested, "No! Where did you see me shake?! I was just stretching casually! Did I shake? I didn't shake!"
[Ding! Hidari's fear of Little +5]
"Bully the weak? Fear the strong?" Lynne teased with a suggestive grin, playfully pointing at his left hand.
Hidari jolted in surprise, exclaiming, "No! Not me! When did I ever do that?! I'm just a normal mutation. Naturally, I'd be scared when faced with a creature I can't possibly defeat! That's utterly... normal..."
Her expression hollowed. She gazed at Lynne's increasingly malevolent and mysterious smirk. It felt like a standoff between two evenly matched fellows until one day, one of them was discovered to have an exploitable weakness. Then the adversary fiercely exploited that vulnerability, relentlessly pressing in with force, again and again...
"Hidari..."
The left hand heard the voice, snapping back to reality, in an instant, faced with the sinister cheek of someone too close for comfort (Φ皿Φ).
Hidari: "(ΩДΩ) Wow, ahhh!"
[Ding! Hidari's fear of you +2]
Lynne loomed ominously over him, while cold sweat poured profusely from the back of Hidari.
"You should be obedient, shouldn't you? Hidari wouldn't be disobedient, would he? After all, marinated pig's feet are quite crunchy when eaten... I wonder if other hands would have that same crispness..."
His voice was chilling, like a cold wind blowing over one's scalp.
[Ding! Hidari's fear of you +5]
[Ding! Hidari's fear of you +10]
Hidari's teeth chattered uncontrollably, and she swallowed hard, stammering, "You're not suggesting... that you'll take me to..."
[Ding! Hidari's fear of Little +20]
Lynne replied kindly, "How could I? You've been my left hand for eighteen years. I wouldn't commit such a heinous act. After all, I'm no demon."
Hidari finally let out a sigh of relief.
"At least I'd have to fry it first and sprinkle some cumin on it."
Hidari: "!!!"
[Ding! Hidari's fear of you +10]
[Ding! Hidari's fear of you +10]
Lynne smirked and rummaged in his pocket, producing a lollipop and a bottle of pesticide, and laying them in front of Hidari.
Tears filled Hidari's eyes, "What are you doing?!"
Lynne smiled gently, "A simple choice. Obedient children get candy, disobedient ones drink the pesticide. Hidari, do you want to be obedient or not?"
Hidari, with a pitiful tone, asked, "Can I choose neither?"
"..."
"..."
A brief silence ensued.
"Little! Today, the doctor offers you a marinated left hand!" Lynne suddenly shouted.
Hidari: "!!!"
Little, filled with curiosity, inquired, "Oh?—Is it tasty?"
"Exquisitely delicious! The freshest of ingredients, still wriggling. When you bite down, it even produces a unique accompaniment of screams."
"Ah—so intriguing—I'd like to try—"
Hidari: "！！！"
...
"Dah-meh! Dah-meh! Dah-meh!!"
The left hand, in an instantaneous breakdown, grabbed Lynne's shirtfront and frantically shook him. At that moment, Hidari's facade cracked. Given Lynne's twisted personality, Hidari believed he would follow through on his threats.
"I've been obedient! I've never been disobedient! From now on, you can take the lead, and I'll follow. Is that okay? Please, no marinating!"
[Ding! Hidari's obedience to you +1]
[Ding! You've made initial progress in taming the mutated left hand!]
Hearing the system's prompt, Lynne's grin blossomed. He held up the lollipop and said with a smile, "Open wide."
Hidari, with a defeated look o(╥﹏╥)o, obediently opened its mouth.
Whoosh!
In it went.
Lynne closed his eyes, pinched Hidari's pinky, and said, "That's better. I'm no demon after all. If you're obedient, we can coexist harmoniously. You can trust your main body to keep you safe. You'll have your share when I eat; there'll always be bones for you to gnaw. Is it sweet?"
Hidari, still holding the lollipop in its mouth, responded o(╥﹏╥)o, "It's sweet, yes."
Feeling he had temporarily tamed the hand, Lynne felt quite content. Although he had to resort to threats and temptations, he felt he had made progress. He believed that he could eventually turn this rebellious mutated hand into a reliable ally with gradual training and a mix of reward and punishment.
"Doctor—there's a door ahead—" The voice of Little, from below, reached him.
Lynne smirked, swiftly pulling a grotesque severed hand from the system space.
It was the [Dragon's Breath Arm]!
Swoosh! The Flesh Catastrophe activated!
Fleshly tendrils erupted from his shoulder, merging with the Dragon's Breath Arm. The lifeless dragon's eyes on the arm ignited with a fierce light.
[Ding! You've connected with the Dragon's Breath Arm. Warning! Your body is severely overloaded!]
But Lynne didn't care.
"System! Distribute all attribute points to physique!"
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding—
In a fleeting moment, a resounding system notification echoed by his ear. The instant the allocation was complete, a torrential warmth surged within him, akin to floodwaters breaking through a dam, inundating every part of him. And the immense pressure brought forth by the linkage to the Dragon's Breath Arm was immediately alleviated amidst this torrential flow.
[Ding! Physique fully allocated! Load on Dragon's Breath Arm reduced to: Slight Load!]
In the blink of an eye, Lynne's status panel materialized before him.
[Lynne]
[Level: 10]
[Race: Human· Mutant]
[Alignment: (Under Analysis...)]
[Strength: 47]
[Agility: 51]
[Intelligence: 61]
[Physique: 154]
Special Attributes:
[Happiness: 70]
[Caring: 1]
[Introduction: A clever human apprentice at Bloodsaw, a perverted lolicon who specializes in tricking little lolitas, known for deceiving young girls. Although he has been through numerous battles, he still can't shake off his tendency to act inappropriately. However, he seems to have a high tolerance for pain and mental endurance, showing no surprise at abnormalities in his own body. Lately, he appears to have taken a liking to living off others without giving in return...]
Lynne: "???"
Damn it! This system seriously needs a beating! Who are you calling a lolicon?! Your whole family must be lolicons!
(╬￣皿￣)=○
But Lynne knew this wasn't the time! He resolutely ignored the system's grossly unjust appraisal and its derogatory slurs.
Gazing at his constitution which had surpassed a hundred, Lynne smirked wryly. With such a high constitution, it implied that his flesh and blood would possess greater vitality and elasticity. Combine that with the Flesh Catastrophe skill, he was no longer just fragile, he had become an indestructible cockroach!
"Little! Ram it!"
...
Boom!
A massive explosion.
The steel door leading to the underground base had a colossal hole smashed into it by Little's (〃＞皿＜) head.
"Intruder detected... Activating base defense system..."
"Biomechanical hunters activated... Target locked... Fire..."
Whirr—
Almost instantly, crevices cracked open on both sides and above the steel corridor. Automated gun turrets emerged with a mechanical click, countless red lasers targeting Lynne who rode atop Little.
"Locking on... Attack!"
Dakka dakka dakka—
The massive turrets rotated rapidly, spewing out concentrated tongues of fire in Lynne's direction.
"True to the reputation of the Demonfolk Association! They even have this kind of automated defense system!"
Lynne was about to duck for cover. But his left hand suddenly stretched out. Before Lynne's eyes, it expanded and transformed into a pentagonal shield made of fleshy walls.
Thud thud thud—
The barrage of bullets that hit the shield Hidari had transformed into was astonishingly deflected aside.
Lynne, wide-eyed in shock, exclaimed, "Hidari?! Since when could you freely change your form like this?"
Hidari huffed (≧口≦)o, "Stop your yapping! Aren't you going to destroy those turrets? Their shots sting like hell!"
Lynne recognized that now wasn't the time for talk. With Hidari's shield at his defense, he quickly drew his demon-hunting revolver from his bosom, his expression turning grave in an instant. Boosted by the bonuses provided by the Origin Knight, his gaze sharply locked onto the turrets ahead.
Bang—
Bang—
[Ding! Firearms Mastery +1]
Bang—
[Ding! Firearms Mastery +1]
Several precise shots rang out.
Crackling sparks!
In mere moments, those turrets were rendered useless in front of Lynne's legendary revolver.
"Little! Keep charging!" Lynne shouted.
"Roger!" Little (〃＞皿＜) raced forward, eyes shut and heedless of all else.
Lynne's firing became increasingly adept, his expression serious and focused. His piercing gaze quickly locked onto turret after turret that appeared before them. Leaning out, he unleashed a rapid series of six shots.
One shot, one turret!
Awaiting bullet regeneration.
Bang bang bang—
Cooling down.
Bang bang bang—
Repeating the previous motions.
After a few rounds, all defensive turrets fell beneath the power of Lynne's revolver.
[Ding! Congratulations on triggering the achievement: Bullseye. You have earned 200 Experience.]
[Bullseye: A stage achievement. When using firearms or other projectile weapons, hit over a hundred targets consecutively within a short period without missing.]
[You have received a permanent boost: Accuracy +5%, Shooting Speed +5%, Ammunition Cooldown Speed +5%.]
"Little! The turrets are taken care of! Up ahead is the second gate!" Lynne yelled. His left hand transformed back to its original state with a rustling sound.
"Understood—" Little (〃＞皿＜) pushed the pace even harder. Yet in the next instant, the looming gate ahead began to rumble as it started to rise.
At the same time, Lynne immediately spotted a legion of hunters behind the gate, ready to strike. Unlike the hunters he had seen before, these weren't wielding sharp mantis-like blades but rather had cannons grafted onto their left arms.
"Target acquired... Highest command... Intercept... Engage immediately!"
Chiming sounds echoed—
The eyes of the dozens of hunters quickly illuminated, shining with intense beams of light. Almost simultaneously, their cannons spewed out a scorching stream of molten lava that blanketed the entire corridor.
"You think you can spew fire in front of me?!"
In a split second, Lynne stood up straight. The dragon-head on his Dragon's Breath Arm seemed to come alive, snaking and glaring menacingly at the surging flames.
A dragon's roar resonated. The massive dragon's head threw its head back and bellowed, ejecting an intensely hot blaze from its maw.
No! That wasn't just fire. That was the dragon's breath!
"Roar—"
In an instant, Lynne gritted his teeth, fiercely restraining the almost uncontrollable Dragon Breath Arm. The massive dragon's maw released a torrential stream of dragon breath, aiming directly at the oncoming lava.
Whoosh—
The two massive flames collided, and the entire corridor melted under the intense heat.
[Ding! Your Flesh Catastrophe Ability +1]
[Ding! Your Flesh Catastrophe Ability +1]
"Warning… warning… Unable to suppress the target with lava emission… Switching to defense mode immediately… Switching to defense mode immediately…"
Crackling—
At the end of the corridor, the lava sprayers in the hands of the hunters constantly emitted sparks due to the overload. Their skin reflected the oppressive flames, glowing with an eerie brightness.
"Warning… Overload… Overload… Activating defense mode now…"
Almost as that warning echoed, a dragon's roar, as if reverberating from the edge of the heavens, tore through their wall of fire.
The scalding breath, capable of melting anything in its path, engulfed them all in a world-ending blaze.
Crackling—
Their flesh began to dissolve, revealing the silvery mithril structure beneath. Yet even their highly reinforced metallic frames started to show signs of melting under that dreadful dragon breath.
"Target's flame weakening—System damage at 41%... Armor completely ineffective… Switching to combat mode… Preparing to counter…"
"Too late!!"
In the blink of an eye, those spark-covered hunters suddenly looked up. Reflected in their eyes was a young man who burst through the wall of fire. Clutched in his hand was a half-meter-long, black blade. His face bore a twisted, eerily polite smile.
With a swift leap, he struck down, the blade finding its mark on the neck of the foremost hunter.
…
Comments
Wyatt Hilbert
Thanks for the chapter
