Aberration

Early the next morning, the fog over Grim Port was thicker than usual, and the salty, fishy stench in the air was strong enough to choke on.

Lu Yuan was fully dressed, having specifically changed into a dark overcoat that allowed for easy movement. He tucked the sharpened scalpel into his coat and slipped a full bottle of Intermediate Holy Water into the inconspicuous leather pouch at his waist.

"Let's go."

Seeing Brent standing at the door with two dark circles under his eyes, Lu Yuan kept it brief.

Brent clearly had not slept well either. His grimy little face was full of unease.

He led Lu Yuan through the bustling central district, heading all the way toward the low-lying, damp Harbor District.

The farther they went, the more rundown their surroundings became.

The bluestone paving gave way to muddy ground, while the Gothic buildings on either side became crooked wooden shacks. The air was thick with the stench of rotting things, mixed with sewer gas so foul it made one's head ache.

This was Grim Port's slums, and also the place closest to the sea.

"It's up ahead... that low-rent housing."

Brent pointed at a swaying black wooden building not far away.

The house looked as though it had been pieced together from scrap wood torn off ships. It was covered in moss, with a pile of who-knew-how-old garbage heaped against the wall.

Before they even got close, Lu Yuan smelled a fishy odor hanging in the air.

The smell was incredibly strong, even mixed with the scent of blood. Lu Yuan instinctively covered his nose.

Lu Yuan stopped and glanced at the lower-right corner of his vision.

[Environmental Perception: Extremely high concentration of abnormal creature traces]

"Doctor Lu?" Brent turned back to look at him, his eyes pleading.

"It's fine. Let's go."

Lu Yuan tugged at his collar and followed Brent into the dim stairwell.

The wooden stairs creaked beneath their feet. The corridor was pitch-black, with doors tightly shut on both sides. Every now and then, muffled coughing could be heard from within.

"This is it."

Brent stopped before a door covered by a tattered cloth curtain, his hand trembling slightly.

"Uncle... it's Brent. I brought a Doctor to see you."

There was no response from inside.

Only a strange sound, like a wet rag being dragged across the floor, accompanied by heavy breathing.

Without wasting words, Lu Yuan reached out and pushed open the door.

The room was dark. The windows had been nailed shut with thick wooden planks, allowing barely a sliver of light through. The foul fishy stench in the air had reached an almost unbearable intensity.

It took Lu Yuan several seconds to adjust to the darkness before he could barely make out the scene inside.

The room was a mess, with puddles and slime scattered all over the floor.

A figure was curled up on a broken bed in the corner.

By the faint light filtering in from the corridor, Lu Yuan finally saw that "thing."

It was a bloated monster.

Its skin had completely peeled away, exposing grayish-brown scales beneath. Its head was swollen and misshapen, its eyes bulged out to either side, and its mouth had split all the way to its ears, revealing rows of fine, sharp teeth.

Most horrifying of all, three crimson slits had split open on either side of its neck. They opened and closed with each breath. They were gills.

[Witnessed a deeply Aberrant: Low-rank Murloc Kin (Incomplete Form)]
[Warning: Sanity check in progress... Check failed. Continued observation of the target causes mild sanity contamination.]

A gray-white warning window popped up.

Lu Yuan remained expressionless and quietly took half a step back.

"Un... Uncle?"

Brent had not yet seen what was on the bed and was about to walk inside.

Lu Yuan reached out, pressed a hand onto Brent's shoulder, and pulled him back.

"Brent." Lu Yuan stared at the figure in the room, his voice calm. "I need to speak with your uncle alone. Come back in later."

"Huh? But..." Brent froze for a moment.

"It's necessary for the treatment. I don't want anyone interrupting." Lu Yuan looked at the monster slowly turning its head toward them, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Hurry up."

Intimidated by Lu Yuan's stern tone, Brent clenched his teeth. Though worried about his uncle, his trust in the "Doctor" made him turn and run away.

Listening to the footsteps fade into the distance, Lu Yuan shut the door behind him.

But he did not lock it.

In such a cramped space, if he could not beat this thing, it would be easier to run.

Lu Yuan turned around, looked at the monster that had climbed off the bed, and pulled out his scalpel.

"Roar..."

A murky growl rumbled from the monster's throat. Its dead fish eyes stared fixedly at Lu Yuan, cloudy slime dripping from the corners of its mouth.

"It's probably beyond saving."

Lu Yuan looked at the monster before him and tightened his grip on the scalpel.

"Looks like Brent may be losing an uncle. Hopefully, he still has other family."

Before his words had even faded, the monster suddenly pounced!

It was astonishingly fast!

Lu Yuan only saw a blur before a fishy gust rushed at his face.

Instinctively dodging to the side, he watched the monster's webbed, clawed hand slam hard into the doorframe.

Bang!

Three deep grooves were carved straight into the solid wooden frame, sending wood chips flying.

[Low-rank Murloc Kin detected]
[Analysis commencing: Head hardness is four times that of an ordinary human, bone density is... Weak points located at the gills, eyeballs, and abdomen.]

Gray-white words continuously appeared in his vision, but Lu Yuan only caught one portion of them. The weak points had actually been marked directly?!

"The gills?"

Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened. The scalpel in his hand flashed coldly as it shot toward the monster's neck.

But the monster reacted faster than Lu Yuan had expected. The scales covering its body suddenly flared open.

Clang!

The scalpel scraped across the scales with the sound of metal striking iron, leaving behind only a white mark.

It seems stronger than me... Try again.

Lu Yuan made a quick judgment, borrowing the momentum to roll backward and narrowly avoiding the monster's sweeping leg.

That leg was covered in slime. When it struck the wall, it left behind a corrosive black mark.

The room was too small. There was no room to maneuver at all.

Having missed its attack, the monster became even more frenzied. It opened its fang-filled mouth and lunged again.

This time, it sealed off every route of escape.

"No choice."

A ruthless glint flashed through Lu Yuan's eyes. His left hand shot into his coat and pulled out the black glass bottle.

He twisted off the cap, seized the opportunity, and splashed nearly half of it into the monster's open mouth.

Sizzle—!

It was like pouring water into a pan of boiling oil.

The instant the Holy Water touched the monster's mouth, thick white smoke erupted.

Roar—!!

The monster let out a miserable scream, clutching its mouth as it rolled across the floor in agony. The soft flesh inside its mouth rotted and blackened at a visible rate, releasing a nauseating burnt stench.

"Looks like it works well."

Lu Yuan panted heavily and retreated toward the window, but he did not press the advantage.

Because he saw that although the monster was in agony, the scales on its body were turning even brighter red under the stimulation of the Holy Water. Its body even swelled another size, and its once grayish-brown eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins.

"This thing seems to have entered... Second Order?"

[Warning: Target has entered a berserk state. Danger level increased!]

Lu Yuan glanced at the Holy Water remaining in his hand.

"Only half a bottle left. It probably won't be enough to kill it."

The monster, its mouth ruined but its killing intent even stronger, was staring at him without blinking.

Can't beat it. Retreat.

Lu Yuan made the decision at once. He grabbed a chair beside him and smashed it hard at the monster. The instant it raised an arm to block, he spun around and reached for the doorknob.

However, at that moment—

Boom!

The monster, which had still been lying on the ground, suddenly sprang up. Its thick tail swept across the room, shattering the chair in Lu Yuan's hands. Without losing momentum, it slammed heavily into Lu Yuan's back.

"Cough!"

Lu Yuan was sent flying into the wall, nearly coughing up blood.

The monster's eyes were red as it closed in step by step, its sharp claws raised high.

Lu Yuan struggled to get up, his hand finding the Holy Water Flask in his coat.

Just as the claws were about to fall—

Clang—!

A silver sword flash cut through the dim room like lightning.

Those iron-hard claws were as fragile as tofu before the sword light. They were severed cleanly in two, falling to the floor and still twitching.

Then, a tall black figure stepped in front of Lu Yuan.

A black overcoat, a wide-brimmed hat, and a massive silver sword giving off a faint glow in the darkness.

"Step back."

Without turning around, the man spoke in a low, hoarse voice. His figure stood before Lu Yuan, radiating the aura of a powerful warrior.

"Unauthorized personnel, leave."