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Chapter 70
🕑 Added 2024-01-18 03:00:04 +0000 UTCLynne was jolted by the reprimand, replying apologetically, "Sorry, sir… I still need to deepen my learning."
After administering the injection, anesthesia, and stopping the bleeding for his teacher, Lynne narrowed his eyes and picked up the sharp needle again.
Swish—
The light glinted off the needle.
"Sir! I'm starting!"
"Do you know how to stitch?" Bloodsaw trembled.
Lynne, holding the needle earnestly, replied, "Yes, sir! Every time you stitched someone else's wounds, I observed very carefully!"
Bloodsaw breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good then…"
He was already under anesthesia. It shouldn't hurt too much. After all, Lynne had been by his side for two years, learning by observation and practice. He should have acquired some real skills.
"Then, let's begin…"
Swish swish swish—
Bloodsaw (ヾﾉ꒪ཫ꒪)— In agony.
What the hell! Why does it still hurt even after anesthesia? Does this kid have some passive skill that automatically induces pain in others? So much anesthesia applied, yet it seems like it's not working at all! This is outrageous! In the future, during his first time with a girl, won't he end up hurting her to death?!
Swish swish swish—
[Stitching Experience +1]
[Stitching Experience +1]
[Stitching Experience +1]
...
Ten minutes later, Lynne calmly took out scissors and carefully snipped the thread on his teacher's stomach, tying a neat butterfly knot. He then gently sprinkled some compound potion on it, marking the completion of his task.
"Sir! The surgery was very successful!" Lynne, proudly raising his thumb, announced: "I've stitched everything that needed stitching and avoided what didn't. The insides, outsides, and even the back, everything is perfectly sewn. I assure you, there are no mistakes."
"…"
"…"
In the silence, Lynne paused, gently lifting the white cloth draped over his teacher's face.
"Teacher?"
Bloodsaw (ヾﾉ꒪ཫ꒪)—lay unconscious, foaming at the mouth.
"Sir!!" Lynne exclaimed in shock.
...
Half an hour later.
Like a dutiful apprentice, Lynne stood behind Bloodsaw, earnestly massaging his teacher's shoulders. Bloodsaw, pale-faced, leaned on the operating table, staring at the bandages wrapped around his stomach.
"Lynne, you didn't leave anything inside your teacher's belly, did you? Like scissors, a ball of yarn, a couple of needles, gloves, or your monocle, perhaps..."
Lynne, adjusting his glasses calmly, assured, "Absolutely not, sir. I've learned from my past mistakes. I haven't done that in a long time."
Relieved, Bloodsaw pulled out a metal detector and meticulously scanned his stomach. After not hearing any beeping, he finally relaxed.
Puppet Mistress looked on in astonishment at this outrageous scene. This level of preparedness and precision couldn't have been the result of just one or two incidents. Such painful lessons! She couldn't help but feel that this young man might not be as normal as she had thought.
Bloodsaw sighed and patted Lynne on the shoulder, his expression turning to one of pride. "Well done! Despite stabbing your master several times, which made me want to slap you, your decisiveness in stabbing without knowing who was outside... it really reminds me of myself in my younger days. You've been a good student."
Puppet Mistress: "???"
Lynne listened intently to his teacher's words. "How could I forget your teachings, sir? You always said, 'In the middle of the night, no matter who comes, stab first and ask questions later.' It's always the right move!"
Puppet Mistress: "!!!"
Bloodsaw, wrapped in bandages and leaning against the operating table, sighed deeply as he spoke to Lynne, "I received your letter. Thank you for writing such a heartfelt plea to me. To be honest, it was quite effective. It really did lure me back here."
Hearing this, Lynne's eyes immediately welled up with tears. He was vividly reminded of the experiences of the past few days, and his eyes turned red with emotion.
"Sir, I was so scared!" he choked up. "You don't know what it was like after you left. I had to face all sorts of monsters alone. Every time I finished treating them, my heart would pound with fear. If I hadn't pretended to be calm, upholding the finest qualities of a doctor... I might have... I might have..."
He couldn't finish his sentence, overcome with emotion.
[Ding! Bloodsaw's favorability for you +1]
[Ding! Bloodsaw's favorability for you +1]
[Ding! Bloodsaw's favorability for you +1]
"I know, I know," Bloodsaw said, his own eyes becoming moist. He gripped Lynne's shoulders tightly. "These past days have been hard on you. I should not have left you alone in the shop. It's my fault that you've suffered so much..."
"Sir, I also..."
Suddenly, Lynne burst into tears, overwhelmed by the situation.
[Survival Guide for Another World 2: A child who cries is a child who gets love.]
Bloodsaw, his eyes brimming with tears, hastily patted Lynne's back, comforting him with a voice choked with emotion.
Meanwhile, Puppet Mistress stood aside, utterly speechless, a look of incredulity plastered on her face.
Wait a minute! Bloodsaw, you blockhead, have you forgotten something crucial?! Wasn't your initial plan to confront and reprimand him for his actions? And yet… You believe everything he says without question?!
Puppet Mistress felt an overwhelming urge to scream in frustration.
Hadn't you seen, just earlier that day, your apprentice joyriding atop a colossal Origin-level creature? Where did you see him show any sign of fear?! He was clearly having the time of his life!
"Lynne, what's this I hear about those Origin-level Headhunters? The news is all over Vision World!" Bloodsaw asked, wiping the tears from his reddened eyes.
Lynne, with a bewildered expression, responded, "Sir… you've heard about it too?"
"That happened the night after you left… A customer came to the shop seeking dental care… Such a massive head… It nearly scared me witless!"
Lynne (ಥ_ಥ) continued, wiping away his tears, "But thankfully, with my quick thinking and adaptability… I managed to cure that Origin-level being of its toothache… And it didn't devour me… Otherwise, I would've been split in two! Literally split apart!"
Bloodsaw's mind instantly conjured up the terrifying scene from that night. A massive, menacing head loomed closer, its sinister smile threatening his trembling apprentice, who was cowering in a corner, as helpless as a little girl cornered by a monstrous uncle. Shouting those horrifying words…
"Shout all you want, but no one will come to save you!"
The thought sent shivers down Bloodsaw's spine.
As Bloodsaw's "fatherly love" was about to overflow, Puppet Mistress interjected hastily, grinding her teeth in annoyance. "Hold on, before you get all emotional, what about the rest? Why did we see you riding that Origin-level creature and annihilating the entire Demonfolk Association?"
Lynne, taken aback, turned to look at the imposing lady, standing three meters tall, with a curvaceous figure. He hesitated before asking, "Sir, who is this...?"
Bloodsaw, lifting his head and closing his eyes, declared, "My mistress!"
Thwack!
Lynne, shocked, looked at his teacher, whose head was now smoking from the slap. He tentatively poked Bloodsaw, then quickly withdrew his hand, not daring to provoke further.
Puppet Mistress, her eyes shut, clenched her fists, her bosom heaving with anger. "Can't you find a more refined term?"
Lynne was astounded. So this was his teacher's style! It seemed his technique was honed over decades of practice. Fortunately, Lynne didn't share this quirky interest. His teacher was quite the character! Why did it feel like there was an aura reminiscent of Lady Dimitrescu?
Lynne subconsciously reached for the flyswatter on the counter...
"Yes, indeed," Bloodsaw, getting up from the ground and touching the smoking handprint on his bald head, said seriously, "How did you manage such a feat, boy? To obliterate the vast Demonfolk Association in just a day - this doesn't sound like the apprentice I used to know."
In his memory, his apprentice had always been a well-behaved, obedient, and gentle child.
Lynne sighed, "It seems you both are aware of the recent events..."
He exhaled deeply, then proceeded to recount the past few days' experiences in a straightforward manner to his teacher and his 'mistress', omitting several details, such as his system. He explained the powerful, mutation-inducing potions as accidental finds from a wandering merchant.
Carefully weaving the narrative to make logical sense, Lynne embellished his tale, making it an enthralling recount of the past few days.
After listening, Bloodsaw and Puppet Mistress were filled with astonishment, particularly during Lynne's account of his fierce battle with the Flesh Puppet. The story was so harrowing that even they felt chills down their spines.
"So that was why you wrote to me in the middle of the night?" Bloodsaw exclaimed, astounded.
Lynne lifted his head, eyes closed, and spoke somberly, "Yes, at the time I wrote to you, I had resigned myself to death. I didn't sleep well at all. If it weren't for that Headhunter who received my letter and came rushing over, swayed by my quick thinking, you wouldn't be seeing your apprentice right now, but rather, a pile of flesh that couldn't be stitched back together."
Lynne wiped his reddened eyes.
"As for everything that happened afterward, it was all because the Demonfolk Association was too arrogant, provoking the Headhunter's family. That sealed their fate."
Bloodsaw and Puppet Mistress exchanged looks, feeling the story was preposterous, yet seemingly without major issues. After all, how could an ordinary apothecary apprentice be connected to an immense entity like a Headhunter? Could it really be all due to the young man's clever responses and a heart dedicated to his profession?
"And what about you, sir?" Lynne asked, seated cross-legged on the floor, eager to know more.
Bloodsaw gave a wry smile, "Ah, the trouble started with me. You might not know, but I was once an elder of the Demonfolk Association."
Lynne nodded, portraying a listener's demeanor. He wasn't surprised; he had already surmised his teacher's identity from the information gathered over the past few days.
Bloodsaw continued, "A few days ago, I received an invitation from an old friend, claiming a breakthrough in a research project I had long been interested in. They invited me to the Hanging Tower for a meeting. I went without much thought. Having not visited the Hanging Tower in ten years, I never imagined what awaited me was not a scholarly discussion, but a coup."
The scene unfolded in his mind again. Along with Bloodsaw, other retired elders who had helped establish the Demonfolk Association were invited to the Hanging Tower. There, the current Association leader, Heart Eater, announced the reinstatement of the "Colossus Project."
"The Colossus Project?" Lynne asked, intrigued.
"Yes," Bloodsaw sighed, his voice deep with emotion. "Since the Demonfolk Association is no more, there's no harm in telling you."
He then detailed the "Colossus Project" to Lynne, from the discovery of a fallen technological civilization's creation to deciphering various technologies and knowledge. All these pointed to a colossal structure manufactured by that civilization three thousand years ago - the Colossus!
"We weren't entirely sure," Bloodsaw continued gravely, "but subsequent research and analysis led us and the Chairman to vaguely sense that the Colossus, shattered in our world, might possess a terrifying power beyond even Origin-level. The most frightening aspect was that the Colossus was a man-made construct, a horrific weapon blending mechanics and flesh... Can you imagine what that means for an organization deeply involved in mechanics and transformation?"
Lynne's gaze deepened.
Fanaticism! Yes, it was akin to a group of enthusiasts, imprisoned in a dark cage surrounded only by male entities, suddenly catching a glimpse of a charming young girl appearing before them. Their excitement and frenzy were beyond the grasp of the average person. It was like a beacon of light!
"I understand!" Lynne nodded.
Bloodsaw inhaled deeply and explained, "Thus, the Colossus Project began, with all resources converging towards the goal of reassembling its pieces, feverishly collected from across the world. This pursuit continued for over a century."
Lynne, intrigued, asked, "Then why was the project eventually shelved?"
Bloodsaw's expression turned complex as if recalling unpleasant memories, "Because we deciphered something."
A war. A vast conflict spanning countless worlds and civilizations occurred at that pivotal moment three thousand years ago.
The civilization possessing the Colossus, once standing at the pinnacle amongst numerous worlds, was practically godlike with their Colossus technology. Yet, even they failed.
Their civilization was annihilated, and their pride, the Colossus - a meld of flesh and machine - shattered, tumbling into this Dark World.
Bloodsaw spoke with a sense of foreboding, "A curse! We had a strong intuition. If we ever succeeded in bringing the Colossus back into existence, some terrible curse would be triggered! It was as if something forbade the Colossus from being reborn."
