Compromise

Time rewound to a day earlier.

The day before Han Dong went to register at the Knight Academy.

During the move from the Samael Slums to their home in the school district, most of the work had been completed with the help of local security personnel.

As for the furniture, his younger sister Nina and their mother went to the large market in the Slums to make their selections. Once they paid, staff would deliver everything directly to their home.

That day, Han Dong did not need to worry about anything. He only needed to rest properly.

However, Han Dong had no intention of relaxing.

He chose to shut himself inside his completely emptied old home in the Slums and study.

He first spent around five hours reading books related to ghouls, gaining a detailed understanding of this strange species, before beginning to train with and use the "arm."

After connecting this brand-new arm, even if he could not use it proficiently, he at least needed to wield it smoothly.

The first thing Han Dong realized was the issue of "weight."

This arm, taken from a mature ghoul, looked utterly mismatched when attached to Nicholas's frail body—barely 1.7 meters tall and chronically malnourished.

Including its nails, the arm could touch the ground when hanging naturally. Its powerful muscle tissue made it nearly as wide as Han Dong's body... It was completely disproportionate.

"This arm probably weighs twenty to thirty kilograms. A body like mine simply can't bear it... Once I swing it, my center of gravity will be thrown off, making combat impossible."

After training for less than ten minutes, Han Dong could not continue.

Sweat poured down his face, and he panted heavily.

The Ghoul Arm's traits—immense strength, swift movement, fungal properties, and a certain degree of regeneration—were limited to that arm alone.

Han Dong's physical condition was still poor.

"This won't work. Nicholas's body can't be trained up so easily... I have to find a solution.

"As long as I can't explain Possessed Chen Li's existence, I can't let Chen Li appear before others.

"If I encounter danger on the way to register, I'll have to deal with it alone... A short sword alone isn't enough. I have to master this arm and completely turn it into one of my own abilities."

"Is there some kind of compromise... one that lets me use the Ghoul Arm's power without having to bear such weight?"

Han Dong stared at the gigantic arm.

The only thing he could do was use the "Mimicry" ability granted by the Faceless Head. Besides disguising his face, it could also disguise the arm as a human arm.

Was there a way to compromise?

Han Dong spent four hours switching between its original form and disguised form.

Gradually,

as the number of transformations increased, he became increasingly skilled at switching between them.

Han Dong gradually sensed a peculiar feeling when transitioning between the two forms... He needed to seize that sensation and stop midway through the transformation.

Before he knew it, night had fallen.

The kerosene lamp had been moved away, leaving the room pitch-black.

Yet before long, a faint green glow seeped from the room, frightening several passing neighbors into hurrying back home.

The green light came from the "Graveyard Fungus" trait within Han Dong's right arm.

Green fluorescent veins covered the arm, even bulging from its surface.

In addition, ten-centimeter claws grew from the front of the arm.

They were short and thin... but sharper.

In this form, the arm retained the size and weight of a human arm.

The green light spreading from his arm illuminated Han Dong's sinister smile.

"Haha... Success! This is the compromise. The arm's weight and size remain unchanged, but it can activate the Graveyard Fungus and Claw traits.

"Although its strength has been greatly reduced, I can wield it freely."

Han Dong casually swung his right arm.

Wherever the claws passed, they left behind highly corrosive fungal spores in the air.

After spending an entire half-day on it, he could finally use this new arm freely... However, Han Dong's training plan was not yet over.

He took several white candles from his backpack and lit up the dark old house.

"Miss Chen Li..."

At Han Dong's call,

the candlelight flickered.

A red dress drifted out.

The woman stood with her head lowered in the darkest corner of the room.

The scene was genuinely terrifying. Han Dong nearly got drawn into the horror of it and began breathing a little faster.

"Don't... don't scare me."

"...I didn't mean to." Chen Li immediately tied up her hair with an elastic band. "I'm just used to this... This appearance makes me feel more comfortable."

"Used to it? So scaring people isn't actually a ghost's intention?"

It was the first time Han Dong had heard such a thing.

Once Chen Li tied her hair into a ponytail, the sense of horror vanished without a trace.

Perhaps because of her Evil Refining evolution, Chen Li had also shed much of the rustic air she had brought from the mountain village.

The dense evil aura made her seem colder and more aloof, while making her skin smooth and icy.

"What did you need me for?"

"Train with me... Since I can't let you appear in public for now, this trip to the Knight Academy may involve a series of trials or tests.

"I need a certain level of strength myself. Otherwise, I won't be able to hold my head up at the academy, which will affect my future development."

"A sparring partner? I'm worried... I might hurt you."

Whenever Chen Li made Eye Contact with Han Dong, her gaze would occasionally dart away.

"It's fine. Just hold back when appropriate. A few superficial wounds are nothing."

"Then I'll give it a try... At full strength?"

"Try full strength first. If I can't keep up, we'll gradually lower it."

The moment he finished speaking,

Han Dong was given no time to react... A gust of yin wind swept over his body, and a cleaver was already pressed to his neck.

Chen Li was no longer the mildly corrupted being she had been in Destiny Space.

After drinking the liquid from the Holy Grail and evolving... Chen Li's bearing, amount of evil energy, and overall attributes had improved tremendously.

She could be said to have completely transcended the limits of humanity.

"Uh... Slower. A little slower, please."

In the end, after the two adjusted to each other, Chen Li reduced her strength to thirty percent, which was just enough to provide Han Dong with the training intensity he needed.

That training session went on until nearly dawn before Han Dong returned home to rest.

Time returned to the present, in the Dark Moon Forest.

Thanks to that intensive training,

Han Dong had chosen to formulate a battle plan centered around himself, facing the "Scissor Stitched Creature" alone.

The pressure created when the monster's tongue swung its scissors toward him was far less than what Chen Li had given him.

"Its speed, sense of terror, and presence are all inferior to Chen Li's. In that case..."

Just as the Stitched Creature was about to close in,

a strand of plague energy shot from the tip of the short blade.

It accurately entered the creature's mouth and corroded its crucial tongue... The long tongue and scissors fell to the ground together.

Han Dong's right arm had transformed into a normal, freely controllable size.

Green veins bulged from beneath the surface of his skin, and his claws were ready.

Slash!

Taking advantage of the opening created by the Stitched Creature's severed tongue, Han Dong launched an attack.

His claws cut into the Stitched Creature's body and tore it open with force.

A dark core was attached to its stomach wall.