Auntie, You Can't Handle It!

So angry!

Really, unbelievably angry!

The selfishness of human nature was on full display in Ian at that moment—he had thought he was the only one in the entire universe who could sleepwalk into "Wonderland," yet having nightmares at night was not a privilege exclusive to him?

Who understood this?

Guys!

A second "Alice" had appeared!

Ian felt utterly miserable. He had actually ended up with such a trashy, disgusting cheat! His rage instantly maxed out, and he lunged forward, trying to grab the other man by the collar through the glass window.

However.

After clawing at him a few times.

"Damn it! Get closer!"

Because his arms were not long enough, Ian could not reach through the head-sized window to grab the man. The hunched chef even smacked his hand a few times with a ladle.

Of course.

Only a few times.

Ian grabbed hold of his ladle.

"Who are you? Why has your soul not accepted my baptism?" The chef began a tug-of-war with Ian over the ladle, questioning him even as they struggled.

Clearly, he was deeply confused that Ian had not fallen into the same "puppet" state as Kara.

"An incurable soul!"

The chef passed judgment on Ian's "abnormal" condition.

"You're the damn incurable one! Baptism, huh? You like baptisms that much? I'll give you a proper baptism right now!" Ian raised his fist, ready to smash the glass window blocking him.

But then.

"Move aside. It's time to eat. I need to eat." Kara, her eyes unfocused and expression vacant, squeezed in front of Ian. She had been waiting in line behind him the whole time.

She now looked as though she could not wait any longer.

Kara stared at the green dishes in the serving window, swallowing repeatedly. A dazed smile hung on her lips, while eager desire shone in her eyes.

"Yes... this is how it should be..." The chef nodded in satisfaction, pulled out a fresh ladle from behind his backside, and scooped up a bowl of thick soup bubbling with strange green foam for Kara.

Kara blankly accepted the bowl and slowly raised it, about to drink.

"No, Auntie! You can't handle what's in that bowl!" Ian strongly suspected that the strange chef had gotten Gul'dan's script, just as he himself had gained Hulk's strength.

"I'm hungry!"

Kara, eyes glazed over, fought Ian for the bowl. Naturally, she was stronger than he was. Seeing that she was about to bring the bowl to her lips, Ian could only activate Super Intelligence in his desperation.

"I'll do it! I can handle it!" Ian glanced at his skill panel. Berserker had plenty of skills that traded negative effects for temporary boosts in strength.

He still had one unused class skill point, and the facts proved that holding something in reserve was indeed crucial. Seeing Kara about to fall victim, Ian stretched out his head and slurped down every drop of soup in her bowl.

"It actually tastes pretty good?"

Ian smacked his lips in astonishment.

Something that looked and smelled disgusting actually had such an endless aftertaste?

"I get it! Stinky tofu! A brand-new version of stinky tofu!" Ian felt that he had cracked the recipe behind the other man's thick soup. At the same time, a new status appeared on his status panel.

[Blood Curse]

A green status that looked as though it would slowly mutate Ian's body, gradually corrode his mind, and guide him toward an ending of depravity and madness.

"That's more like it... For victory! For the new world!" The chef was not angered by Ian snatching Kara's bowl. Instead, he wore a gratified smile, as though this was only natural.

"You want the world to feel pain too?"

Ian smacked his lips, not feeling even the slightest bit corrupted.

Of course.

The changes to his body were visible to the naked eye.

Ian lowered his head and looked at his hands, discovering green energy surging beneath his skin. The energy was not especially abundant yet, as though it lay dormant there, gathering strength.

[You are suffering Fel Corruption. Experience +1.]

It had to be said.

This was absolutely the most severe negative status Ian had received since obtaining the [Berserker] class. An ordinary person would probably have been terrified out of their wits by now.

However.

"I'm about to level up! Delicious! Love it!" When Ian saw the chef serve another bowl of soup to the waiting Kara, he immediately snatched it over and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

Kara showed anger at having her food stolen.

"Wait, you..."

The chef stared at the greedy Ian in shock.

"You actually possess such talent? Good, good, good! I need a warrior as devout and full of potential as you." Seeing Ian finish his second bowl while still wanting more.

The chef came back to his senses and was overjoyed.

He hurriedly ladled out more soup.

Bowl after bowl, he handed them to Ian.

"Glug glug glug~"

"Glug glug glug~"

"Glug glug glug~"

Naturally, Ian accepted every bowl without hesitation.

As time passed.

He drank more than ten bowls of green soup in a row. The chef, who had initially grown increasingly excited, gradually realized something was wrong. By all rights, the boy before him should have begun transforming into another life-form already.

"Something's wrong with you!"

The chef angrily stopped handing out green soup.

"What? Being stingy now?" Seeing this, Ian looked around, pulled over a water pipe from the corner, and skillfully inserted it from outside into the soup pot beneath the window.

Although [Blood Curse] said it would affect his sanity, he did not feel himself becoming insane. Nor had he unlocked his Hulk form from drinking a few extra mouthfuls.

His strength had not even increased! Wasn't drinking the soup supposed to make him bigger and stronger? As a Berserker with severely lopsided attributes, Ian was prepared to sacrifice intelligence so that his strength could exceed his Spirit.

Unfortunately, heaven did not understand him.

"Tell me! Did you water down the demon blood? Damn it!" While wildly gulping, Ian pulled out his dagger and began frantically grinding experience.

Don't misunderstand.

It was not because his sanity had dropped.

It was because Ian discovered that this soup was incredibly nourishing. After taking a few sips, he could use [Self-Healing Tide] once to steadily farm experience, and his hunger would not surface because of it.

It was practically Ten-Complete Tonic Soup tailored specifically for him!

[You are suffering Fel Corruption. Experience +1.]

[Health lost. Experience +2.]

The dagger in Ian's hand swung so fast it left afterimages. With two different sources of experience, he enjoyed double the pleasure. Before long, his entire aura immediately changed.

He had leveled up.

[Strength: 5.8—8.5]

[Constitution: 4.7—6.7]

[Intelligence: 2.6—2.7]

[Spirit: 6.8—7.1]

[Level-up reward: Class Skill Point +1. Rank weight has increased. Erroneous data has been cleared.]