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Chapter 36
🕑 Added 2023-11-19 01:00:02 +0000 UTCLynne rolled around, wrestling with his left hand. Chaos erupted throughout the room.
"Quit your grandstanding! You vile thing! Just because I'm attached to you doesn't mean I won't deal with you! (〝▼皿▼) You little wretch!"
Lynne forcefully pinned his left hand down, gritting his teeth, (艹皿艹) and taunted: "Come on then! Think I would be scared of a mere hand?!"
This was madness! Utter madness! A mere mutation dared to be so brazen! Today, no matter what, he would rid himself of it, even if it meant living without his left hand forever!
Without a second thought, Lynne used all his might and lunged (`皿′) toward a wall, forcefully slamming the rebellious left hand against it.
[Lynne's HP -1]
[??? HP -1]
"You dare hit me (〝▼皿▼)! Take this!"
In a flash, the left hand's tongue elongated several times its length, shooting straight for Lynne's face. Clearly, if struck by this terrifying tongue, even if not fatal, it would leave a gaping hole.
Just as the tongue was about to pierce through Lynne, he saw his chance and fiercely opened his mouth wide.
Snap!
Left hand: (ΩДΩ) "Ahhh!"
Lynne bit down hard on the extended tongue.
[??? HP -10]
In that fleeting moment, gritting his teeth, Lynne bolted into the neighboring operating room. Swiftly grabbing a cleaver, he brandished it menacingly, prepared to split his left hand in two.
"Die—Aaah (You)!"
Yet, in that critical moment, the left hand forcefully whipped its elongated tongue, flinging Lynne backward onto the ground. The cleaver crashed loudly onto the floor. But Lynne's resolve was steeled. Today, one of them would surely perish!
Without hesitation, Lynne (〝▼皿▼) swiftly picked up the fallen cleaver. In response, the defiant left hand, equally determined, (艹皿艹) grabbed a scalpel from the surgical table.
"Come on! Let's harm each other!"
Clang—
Clang—
The two blades clashed, sparking with a ferocity that echoed throughout. Lynne (〝▼皿▼) pressed on, asserting, "You're done for! Today, I'll chop you off, then preserve you in a bottle as a specimen!"
The left hand, undaunted, pressed back (#｀皿′), retorting, "Give it a try! Try me, punk!"
Clang—
Clang—
In that moment, Lynne and his left hand swung at each other mercilessly, blades colliding with explosive intensity.
The battle raged from the operating room to the alchemy lab, then to the main hall, and finally to the backyard. The confrontation was so evenly matched, the atmosphere palpable!
[Ding! Your combat ability +1]
[Ding! Your combat ability +1]
[Ding! Your combat ability +1]
After clashing with his left hand for what felt like an eternity...
Clang—
Their blades met once more (〝▼皿▼), leading them into another tense standoff.
"I'll offer you one chance. Leave my body willingly now, and I'll spare your existence."
"(艹皿艹) Those words should be mine! Just obediently let me devour your brain, and I'll let you be!"
"It seems there's no room for negotiation?!"
"Who said anything about negotiating? I'll finish you off!"
Clang—
Clang—
Amidst the intense battle, the two blades met with such force that both were sent flying from their respective grips. With incredible agility, the left hand quickly seized the opportunity. Its gaping maw lunged forward, enveloping Lynne's head.
"I'll devour you!"
As the peril neared, Lynne acted on instinct. He thrust his right arm into the massive mouth, wedging it open between the upper and lower jaws, preventing the monstrous maw from snapping shut around his neck. For a moment, the battlefield was at a tense standstill.
"You—are—doomed!"
The left hand, with its fierce grip, overpowered Lynne, pinning him to the ground. But Lynne, using all his might, managed to wrestle his head free from the creature's maw.
Facing the ferocious mouth flailing before him, Lynne gritted his teeth.
"It's yet to be seen who's doomed!"
And in that desperate moment, Lynne caught sight of the remaining bottle of pesticide that he had concocted, neatly placed amongst other vials. It was as if dawn had broken through the darkness.
Yes! That must be the bottle left untouched before the blackout!
Seizing the opportunity, Lynne swiftly rolled over, clenching the pesticide bottle with his teeth. With one swift move, he pinned the monstrous left hand beneath him.
And in that split second, the left hand noticed the malicious grin that played on Lynne's face and the pesticide bottle clenched between his teeth.
Left hand: "Waaahhh (ΩДΩ)!!"
[Left hand's fear of you +10]
[Left hand's fear of you +10]
"You can't open the bottle! Don't fool yourself!" The left hand wriggled, trying to escape.
"Think so?" Lynne smirked. And under the watchful gaze of the left hand, Lynne activated Flesh Catastrophe. A tiny, miniature hand slowly sprouted from Lynne's cheek. And right in front of the horrified left hand...
Pop—
The tiny hand deftly removed the cork from the bottle.
Left hand: "Nooooo (ΩДΩ)!!!"
Immediately, amidst the left hand's high-pitched shrieks of terror, the contents of the pesticide bottle gushed into its gaping maw.
"I'll choke you! I'll choke you to death! (╬￣皿￣) Gagging! Gagging! o(≧口≦)o!!"
After about ten seconds.
Burp—
The left hand remained motionless, hiccuping continuously. Its mouth filled with a viscous, strange liquid—pungent and nearly impossible to swallow. It was... utterly saturated.
"..."
"..."
[Ding! You have acquired an abnormal state: Pesticide Poisoning (Mild)!]
[Warning! Warning! The pesticide you ingested has triggered a reaction with the residual toxins in your body. The poisoning is intensifying!]
[Ding!Your abnormal state: Pesticide Poisoning (Mild) has escalated to Pesticide Poisoning (Severe)!]
Lynne froze. A buzzing filled his ears. His face turned blank.
No! No! He had forgotten! If his own poisoning affected the mutated entity, then poisoning the mutated entity would surely affect him as well...
In an instant, gurgling sounds arose from his stomach. A wave of nausea surged from every capillary in his body. His complexion rapidly shifted—from pale to red, from red to purple, from purple to green.
Lynne (ヾﾉ꒪ཫ꒪)—
The left hand mumbled in a daze, "You... foolish host... Poisoning me... you too... also..."
Left hand (ヾﾉ꒪ཫ꒪)—
In an instant, Lynne whipped his head around and, with all his might, flung open the door to the cellar, hurling violently into its depths.
Ugh——
Ugh——
[Ding! Babe's Favorability towards you -10!]
[Ding! Babe's Favorability towards you -10!]
In an o(x﹏x)o state, his left hand struggled to clamber up. Trembling, it reached for a knife nearby, poised to strike Lynne.
"I'll kill you... Despicable creature... Daring to poison me with that dreadful pesticide... You must die..."
The left hand (ヾﾉ꒪ཫ꒪)——
At that very moment, the left hand could no longer contain itself. With a thud, it slumped beside Lynne, o(x﹏x)o, and retched into the cellar as well.
"Once I'm done throwing up, you're dead!"
Ugh——
[Ding! Babe's rage for you +10!]
[Ding! Babe's rage for you +10!]
...
After what felt like an agonizing ten minutes, Lynne drained of energy, leaned against the edge of the cellar. His entire body quivered as he gasped for air, his face ghostly pale.
Similarly, his left hand lay o(x﹏x)o beside the cellar entrance, its elongated tongue drooping out, clearly nauseated.
"Truce..." Lynne panted, "Give me a moment, and then I'll deal with you..."
"Agreed," the left hand responded, its voice o(x﹏x)o and weary, "I've lost my appetite for now, but I'll feast on you later..."
...
After a peaceful half-hour rest, Lynne, eyes closed, leaned against the cellar's entrance and mused, "How about... we coexist peacefully for now? What do you think?"
The left hand (눈‸눈) responded with a hint of uncertainty, "Seems like a reasonable proposal."
"Continuing this fight seems pointless."
"I agree."
"Having two consciousnesses in one body is... somewhat acceptable when you think about it."
"Indeed (눈‸눈)"
"..."
"..."
A brief silence ensued.
Clash——
Suddenly, two blades collided.
Amid the ensuing sparks, Lynne infuriated, retorted, "I knew you were plotting a sneak attack! Fortunately, I was quick enough! I can't believe you're so despicable!"
Pushing back hard, the left hand (〃＞皿＜) snapped back, "It was you who wanted to seize the moment to chop me off! You're the real scoundrel here! You're done!"
Clash——Clash——Clash——
The reinvigorated duo resumed their intense blade battle. Just then,
Knock knock knock——
A knock echoed from outside.
"Is anyone in the shop? I need treatment!"
[Ding! You've triggered a task: Diagnose the Condition. Task reward: 200 Skull Coins, Experience+100, Special Reward x1.]
Hearing the notification, Lynne swiftly reacted. As he continued to clash blades with his left hand, he shouted, "Come in! A customer's welcome!"
Without hesitation, Lynne rushed (`皿′) into the operating room, hurriedly pulled on his pants, and donned a white coat.
"If it weren't for this customer, I would have chopped you off by now!"
"You wretch! If anyone's doing the chopping, it's me chopping you first!"
Clash——
Clash——
Lynne quickly darted to the front hall and immediately spotted the figure of a humanoid with a sheep's head entering through the main door.
[Sheepfolk]
[Race: Exotic Being]
[Alignment: Chaotic Neutral]
[Level: 69]
[Combat Ability: Potent in Close Combat!]
[Description: Wanderers of the Dark World, believed themselves to be the descendants of the ineffable forest black goat, Shabu Nicholas. Yet, most deemed such claims far-fetched, for without a doubt, these beings had little distinction from creatures like the Pigfolk or Dogfolk of this realm...]
When Lynne laid eyes upon the creature, the sheepfolk too immediately noticed the young human sprinting down the corridor. He paused, taken aback. The sight of the human brandishing two knives was perplexing.
Was this a robbery?
Instinctively, his gaze fell upon the shabby sign by the entrance that read, [Bloodsaw Potion Shop]. This must be a potion shop, right?
But in the next moment...
Clang, clang, clang!
The resounding clash of blades sent shivers down his spine. With wide eyes, he watched the human fervently swinging his blades to and fro. Swallowing hard, he muttered: "Um... Excuse me..."
"Welcome!" Lynne swiftly turned, his expression seamlessly transitioning to a friendly, professional smile, saying: "I'm the attendant here. Since the boss is out, I'm in charge. How may I assist you?"
Then, just as quickly, he turned and exchanged furious blows with his left hand. (〝▼皿▼)
[Sheepfolk's Sanity -1]
The sheepfolk, startled, gulped again. Instinctively, he leaned against a nearby pillar, wide-eyed, and spoke: "I'm an outsider... I mean... I think I'm unwell. I've heard about the simplicity and kindness of this place, and since I was passing by... um... I wondered if I might find a doctor to consult..."
Clang, clang, clang!
Sparks flew.
With a swift turn, Lynne's expression effortlessly shifted to a warm, inviting smile, "You've come to the right place then. To be frank with you, in these parts with no village in sight, for miles around, ours is the only apothecary! Rest assured! No matter the ailment, I promise a cure!"
Clang, clang, clang!
In an instant, Lynne's demeanor shifted again (〝▼皿▼), and he fiercely fended off his left hand. The erratic dance of flashing blades made the sheepfolk's heart race.
Something's off! This isn't right! This apothecary seems... different from the usual kind!
Backing away shakily, sticking to the wall, the creature stammered, "Um... Given the circumstances... Perhaps... Perhaps I should come back another time?"
As he spoke,
Swish—
A knife whizzed past, narrowly missing the creature's forehead, embedding itself in the wall before him.
Sheepfolk: "(ΩДΩ)!!!"
That was too close!
[Sheepfolk's Sanity -5]
[Sheepfolk's Sanity -5]
"I'm so sorry, truly!"
With a regretful expression, Lynne dodged the rapidly slashing knife from his left hand, darting beside the creature. Swiftly pulling the thrown knife from the wall, he clashed blades with his left hand again.
While fending off blows, Lynne managed to glance back apologetically and said, "My apologies, a slip of the hand. I hope I didn't startle you too much?"
The sheepfolk's legs trembled uncontrollably as he responded in a daze, "Um... No... not at all... You're saying it was just an accidental slip?"
It didn't seem that way! It almost felt like the throw was in response to his evident desire to leave!
"It truly was an accidental slip," Lynne earnestly explained. "To be precise, I was momentarily distracted by hearing you were leaving, which impaired my judgment, causing the knife to unintentionally fly out."
The sheepfolk was taken aback (ΩДΩ).
Really? Why did that explanation seem utterly far-fetched?
"Don't be frightened; please come in! To be honest, you are our store's first customer today, and I'm a bit overexcited!"
With a friendly gesture, Lynne cleared a path and dragged a stool out from behind the shattered counter. He warmly added: "Our shop recently underwent some renovations. Although it might look a bit plain, I assure you we have everything a medical store should offer. Rest assured, we promise a delightful shopping experience!"
Clang, clang, clang!
Suddenly, Lynne turned, (艹皿艹), clashing blades with his left hand once more.
The sheepfolk stared blankly.
A delightful experience, really? Why did he have a feeling that might not be the case?
Swallowing nervously, the creature hesitated, "Um... Could I possibly step out and come back in? I feel it might have been rude to step in with my left foot first."
Lynne's expression turned sympathetic. "Is that so? Do you intend not to seek treatment here after all?"
The sheepfolk responded with a blank stare, "What would happen if I said yes?"
Lynne responded with a genial smile, "Of course, nothing would happen! Because the customer is king, and the king always has the right to choose."
As he spoke, Lynne quickly turned, (〝▼皿▼), and with even more ferocity than before, began furiously hacking at his left hand.
"I'll finish you off! You're done for!"
The sheepfolk went wide-eyed (((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))).
[Sheepfolk's Sanity -5]
[Sheepfolk's Sanity -5]
Why did he have two such different sides to him?
