Chapter 90
[Pain Empathy]
He hadn't signed a contract, yet the immense pain from the brain cancer was replicated in Yuki's body. In an instant, the falling Yuki was overwhelmed by a severe headache.
This was a pain that even Comfort Pills couldn't alleviate, because it truly felt like a tumor was growing in his head, pressing on his nerves.
Distracted attention, double vision, a buzzing sound in the ears, numbness in the limbs, and almost loss of control over the body.
"This is the hell I live in every day. Savor it."
The boy with uneven eyes wore a relieved expression, but also seemed a little disappointed that the other person could only enjoy it for a moment, because the giant snake raised its tail and opened its Abyss Grade -like mouth.
The pain was unbearable; Yuki couldn't even see the gigantic mouth beneath him anymore. This was the most dangerous part of the entire plan.
He didn't know what Zhang Qing's characteristics were.
"Very good characteristics." Yuki gritted his teeth, not only because of the pain, but also because of the various memories being crammed into his head.
The parents weeping with their faces covered, the lingering smell of disinfectant in their nostrils, the curiosity and despair they felt while playing the game, and then, as if gambling with their lives, they opened their hearts to Dean Fukawa and made a promise to leave the instance together.
Who am I? Who is me?
Feeling lost, Yuki slightly raised his head. He didn't look at the giant maw that was about to engulf him, but instead looked into the distance.
General.
The blonde girl, covered in dust and scarred, stood up. Her leg was broken, and she was supported by Mai Sakurajima behind her, but her hand holding the huge revolver remained steady.
Her expert firearm control allowed her to focus intently on the upper half of the giant snake, her thumb cocking the hammer.
Clatter
The Transcendental Grade Chaos Item, forged twice and consuming a massive amount of enhancement points, was loaded. The girl took a deep breath and pulled the trigger before Yuki was swallowed up.
Powerful Shooting Mode. Death Knell Tolls!
Bang!!!!
This shot even drowned out the previous explosion. After Mai Sakurajima kept using her skills to reduce the cooldown time, the five bullets in the magazine were combined into one.
Blast out with ten times the power!
The shot was terrifying; the giant snake, tens of meters long, was instantly reduced to a pile of mangled flesh, with bones, limbs, and heads flying through the air, forming a thick cloud of Blood Mist.
The final decision!
Yuki emerged from among the severed limbs, feeling the symptoms he had just experienced vanish instantly.
Is it a feature of Sight Lock?
His head spun around, and he saw nothing but flying bits of flesh and limbs, as well as the demonic core that was clearly visible.
Yuki didn't covet those things. He looked at the remaining one-fifth of the giant snake's body at his feet and saw two heads that looked like deformed twins.
Dean Fukawa and the boy stared blankly at each other, their heads huddled together. They didn't understand how the players operated, who was the main attacker, and who was the bait.
But Yuki landed, they all came to their senses.
The final moment has arrived!
It can't be said that their struggle was in vain; even with only a small piece of their bodies remaining, they still had the ability to fight.
Dean Fukawa's mouth opened to its Limit, almost to the Limit of dislocation, and powered by his remaining body, he spewed out a beam of pitch-black light.
Zhang Qing's eyes widened as he stared directly at Yuki, who was falling head-on.
[Pain Empathy]
This is another combined attack, one a powerful offensive move, the other a hard crowd control. If they can take down Yuki, there's still a chance to turn the tide. After all, according to Curly's common sense, such a powerful shot can't be without a price.
We will still win...
The thought had barely surfaced when it froze, because Zhang Qing's head involuntarily turned to the side, focusing on a man wearing a gas mask.
[The Heart of Sacrifice]
With hard control countering taunts, while the Tyrant was writhing in pain on the ground, Yuki had already been met with the black pillar of light.
Soul energy, unleash its full power!
The longsword was glowing red-hot. As the body fell, it cleaved the pillar of light in two. The two energies collided, rubbed, and dissolved, and the remaining energy was then cut apart by the Nameless Longsword.
It was too fast. So fast that Dean Fukawa didn't have time to shut his mouth and escape. Just as the crimson blade magnified in his vision, it slashed into the middle of his mouth, which had grown to its maximum length.
Swish.
One.
Yuki's legs were embedded in a pool of blood-red mud. Under the corrosive influence of his berserk state, he could see nothing but the other half of the 'dazzling' black core.
A man enveloped in white mist, standing atop the mangled remains of a demon, yet resembling a demon himself, gripped his sword and turned.
The dungeon is over!
Chapter 42 Return (Second Dungeon, End)
The demon stood atop the demons, Yuki crushed flesh, his hands gripping knives, and he twisted two grotesque heads in his hands.
Cut it off, tear it off, let the blood splatter all over your body, and let the gray-red mist become even thicker.
Like Khorne's Blessing, the berserk effect of Demon Possession turned his eyes bloodshot. He slowly turned his head, and the Tyrant, who was lying on the ground, was startled and retreated several meters.
He suddenly felt better and saw a monster with glowing red eyes staring at him from the pile of corpses. As the dust settled, the scene reflected in his eyes became even more terrifying.
Yuki was not stepping on rotten flesh, but on a mountain of corpses, with countless heads and limbs twisted together and trampled under the feet of the man wielding the sword.
The long sword gleamed with a blood-red light, and he held two severed heads in his hand.
"Why do I feel like he's more like the Boss?"
Hayasaka Ai saw it too, but unfortunately she didn't dare to move an inch. A heavy sense of bad luck was lingering around her, and she was afraid that she would trip and fall if she took a single step.
"Hmm, it looks terrifying. After this dungeon, Yuki is no longer human."
Mai Sakurajima said without turning her head, feeling her calves go weak. If Yuki walked towards her, she would probably turn around and run away.
At that moment, she suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, because Yuki took out a small purple bottle, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.
The Quiet Dew took effect, reason returned to the body, the blood-red eyes faded, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, only then did a strong sense of joy well up inside them.
We won!
Faint applause and cheers rang out from all around. With only five players remaining, it was hardly a lively scene. The rest of the players didn't even have the energy to celebrate. Surprisingly, it was Shiina Hiyori who was in the best condition.
We won.
Yuki a sigh of relief. Just now, it really did seem like Khorne him, but he didn't actually try to scare the Tyrant.
His intense killing intent exceeded the threshold of reason, making him unable to even think about taking out his medicine. Fortunately, the strange murmur broke the balance, allowing him to seize the opportunity.
[Player Yuki, you have become the Demon Slayer. Reward: 3 Enhancement Points]
[Massive Soul Harvest, Demon Heart is now in a weakened state]
As an extra bonus, have I accomplished a series of achievements?
From Demon Hunter to demon slayers, then to demon hunters, and finally to butchers, the path of his achievements was smooth, making him somewhat regretful of his choice under the Crimson Moon.
The same applies to demons Living Corpse, except that the achievement was taken by Hayasaka Ai, and she didn't reach a very high level.
"But we won anyway."
Yuki raised his head and glanced at the enormous hospital under the moonlight. This massive building had buried several players, and its owner was now beneath his feet.
Demon Hospital?
He etched the building into his mind, then looked down at the head in his hand.
Dean Fukawa, a boy with uneven eyes.
"A greedy fool, a pitiful man with no other choice."
The victor made his final assessment, released his grip, and let the two heads roll away. Yuki disliked sentimentality and had no interest in Zhang Qing's memories.
We're all just pitiful creatures struggling to survive; let's focus on the outcome.
[Some players have died. Please leave the instance.]
The murmurs resumed, and the Tyrant and his men were already waiting beneath the pile of corpses. They supported each other, watching Yuki, their lips moving slightly, unsure of what to say.
"You are the most professional player I have ever seen." The Tyrant was completely convinced. From the ninth floor to the garden, he felt that it was not the Miracle, but rather a movement as perfect and regular as a clock.
"You're joking. This is all thanks to everyone. I was only responsible for carrying your hopes and squeezing everyone's value to the Limit. I just played the final role."
Yuki shook his head. This had nothing to do with modesty. Even the weakest Shiina Hiyori, played an indispensable role. He also experienced the world-shaking difference between a solo player and a player team.
Whether you specialize in a particular area or are a jack-of-all-trades, your abilities complement each other.
"No, your true strength lies in your ability to extract value from this place." The Tyrant raised his right hand, ripped off his rubber glove, and a moment later, a blood-soaked hand gripped his tightly.
"Alright, let's get ready to go back."
"Okay, it's time."
The players tensed their muscles one last time, turning their heads away. The Comfort Pills had reached their Limit, and the side effects were about to appear.
The patients will suffer several times the pain in return, and then, like a bursting pipe, a torrent of terrifying resentment will gush out. This resentment will then attract demons, making even a lowly soldier incredibly terrifying.
Their breaths caught for a moment, and everyone got into a starting position. After all, the garden wasn't far from the gate, and they could sprint out in no time.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Nothing happened. There were no angry roars or screams. Even the pile of corpses not far away began to crumble and disappeared without a trace when the night wind blew.
"It seems we've completely solved the problem with this instance."
In Yuki's eyes, the faint black mist that had lingered over the hospital building had dissipated, and lights were twinkling in the wards.
"Really, look at that gate." Hiyori held out her hand, and everyone turned to look. Sure enough, the hospital gate that had been smashed in the crowd had been restored to normal.
No, the crater from the explosion, the withered trees, and the marks left by the giant snake had all disappeared, and even the cars were still intact in the Parking Lot.
"Reincarnation Game. Every time, it feels like I'm dreaming," the Tyrant said with a sigh. The word 'demon' had been removed; it was just a normal hospital.
"It certainly felt like a dream, but after the devil comes the dream."
Yuki seemed to see a little girl waving to him from the window on the eighth floor. She was thin and malnourished, but her face was full of smiles, as if she had seen the hope of recovery.
He suddenly smiled, feeling that the killing had gained some meaning.
The monsters in the dungeon wanted to get out, but didn't I also try to save the dungeon?
With the demon's curse lifted, these poor souls will surely receive genuine treatment under normal medical conditions, instead of being toyed with like a pile of fuel rods.
Yuki did not return to the hospital. He understood perfectly well the meaning behind Yuuki's role as the savior who arranged everything:
There is no savior in this world; players should do what players do, appearing out of nowhere and leaving just as easily.
He turned around resolutely, took the semi-conscious Hayasaka Ai from his senior's hands, and led the remaining players toward the gate.
The player's figure disappeared into the darkness. Yuki paused briefly at the gate, raised his right hand, and slowly clenched it into a fist, his back to the girl who was watching him.
Goodbye.
[Player Yuki, leaves the Demon Hospital.]
[Main quest "Demon Hospital (Abnormal)" completed]
[Personal panel updated, player permissions adjusted]
[Preparing to return.]
Volume 2: Interlude 2
Chapter One: The Joy of a Bountiful Harvest
The murmurs were like heavenly music only at times like these. As soon as the players took a step out, the huge hospital disappeared, and a pure white, empty space appeared before their eyes.
With a series of relieved exhales, the players all collapsed to the ground.
We're finally safe.