"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!"
"He's not human! He's not an ordinary man!"
"Director He made a mistake! I need to run, I have to get out of here!"
"The secret of the Third Hospital... it's terrifying..."
Dr. Birdbeak's mind was in a complete panic.
All he wanted now was to escape the Third Hospital—especially after witnessing the gruesome fate of the Werewolf Doctor.
He was forced to avoid the agonizing Blood Hand, not daring to let its vile, blood-soaked touch come near his skin.
At the same time, he scrambled to flee, but in his haste, he barely noticed a foul stench growing stronger in the air.
"Grrr!"
A muffled growl reached his ears just as a dark shadow shot from the corner. There were no flashy powers, only raw violence.
The ghoul's sharp claws were its most potent weapon.
Screech!
"Ahhh!!!"
Dr. Birdbeak screamed in agony as the ghoul's claws tore into his abdomen, rendering him immobile.
He struggled, spewing dark green toxic mist from his beak toward the ghoul's face.
But the ghoul, seemingly immune to the poison, paid it no mind.
With a grotesque snarl, the ghoul lunged forward and sank its teeth into Dr. Birdbeak.
The struggle was short-lived.
Soon, the hallway fell silent once again, save for the horrifying sounds of the ghoul gnawing on its prey.
Yi Bai, having driven off the Blood Hand, saw the shadow return to its original state.
His face was pale. Despite his newfound powers, they still took a heavy toll on him.
This was why he needed to end things quickly.
Inside the consultation room, the screams continued.
The Blood Hand's power was unparalleled—its ability to make one experience the kind of pain that could rival the worst imaginable torments of hell was terrifying.
But that was just part of the Blood Hand's terrifying ability.
Its true power lay in the fact that any creature, human or otherwise, that was consumed by its agonies would eventually die in a pool of corrupted blood, which was then absorbed by the Blood Hand itself to grow stronger.
The more powerful the victim, the faster the Blood Hand would evolve.
That was the real horror of this ability.
"That's taking longer than expected..."
Yi Bai, sitting in his chair, muttered to himself, estimating that nearly ten minutes had passed.
The massive werewolf, now only slightly smaller than before, still struggled and screamed in agony. It had shrunk by less than a fifth.
"Not bad, though. With my current abilities, I can barely handle a Low-Grade Ghoul. Anything stronger than that... well, it would be risky!"
"And I made a critical mistake... I never used the Eye of Insight during the fight to gauge the enemy's condition!"
"That skill could have allowed me to predict the enemy's movements and weaknesses. I was foolish to forget it in the heat of the moment. I'll never make this mistake again."
Reflecting on his first real combat with a monster, Yi Bai realized his fatal error.
Luckily, the enemies were the Werewolf Doctor and Dr. Birdbeak—both were no stronger than Low-Grade Ghouls.
Had he been facing a more dangerous foe, such a mistake might have cost him dearly.
Though he still defeated them swiftly, he knew that errors, no matter how small, had a cost. This time, he was lucky. But what if next time, that mistake led to his demise?
As Yi Bai pondered this, strange, rhythmic rumblings echoed from outside the consultation room.
Boom… boom…
It sounded like a low tremor, reverberating through the ground.
"They're here." Yi Bai's expression shifted. He recognized the familiar aura of Lina and sighed in relief.
Before long, the door to the consultation room cracked open.
A massive figure blocked the doorway, and Lina appeared, her usually seductive face now cold and emotionless.
She surveyed the wreckage of the room, then turned to Yi Bai. After a thorough inspection, she seemed relieved.
Lina didn't ask any questions; the sight of the fallen werewolf explained everything.
At that moment, Yi Bai's eyes shifted to the enormous figure looming outside. The Eye of Insight activated without a sound.
[The Kurohr Family: Ralph]
[Species: Stitch-Golem]
[Affection: Neutral]
[Strength: Red-Ghost]
[Likes: Collecting various monster limbs and fusing them into himself]
[Weakness: Heart Core (All Stitch-Golems possess this weakness—the Heart Core is their lifeblood)]
[Current Status: After killing the foolish greedy ghost He Yi, Ralph plans to meet with the true seller and discuss the trade for the Bloody-Ghost's arm. (If you help facilitate the deal, you will earn Ralph's friendship. Otherwise, you will earn his resentment—he is far from as simple as he looks.)]
"He's not as simple as he looks..." Yi Bai mused silently, realising this behemoth wouldn't be easily swayed.
Although He Yi had met his end at Ralph's hands, Yi Bai suspected Ralph had already seen through his own schemes.
Thus, Ralph might be irritated by their attempt to manipulate him.
Yi Bai's mind raced as he weighed his options.
With Lina standing beside him, Yi Bai wasn't overly concerned about his safety.
He stepped forward, walking toward the massive Stitch-Golem, Ralph.
In front of the creature, Yi Bai felt like an ant standing before a mountain.
"Human, you're the one who treated Count Rose? And it was you who had Lina contact me?"
The voice was sharp and piercing, laced with curiosity.
"Yes, Mr. Ralph," Yi Bai replied calmly, maintaining his composure. "I'm aware of your intentions. If you're willing to offer an appropriate price, I believe Count Rose's closest confidante will be more than happy to strike a deal with you."
"Excellent. Ralph appreciates humans who are straightforward," the creature said, his voice rumbling in approval.
He raised one of his massive, stitched-together arms, extending two fingers.
"Two million Ghost Coins. One complete Bloody-Ghost arm. How about it?"
Yi Bai sucked in a breath, his eyes widening in shock.
Two million Ghost Coins!
This was more than twice the amount He Yi had paid to obtain the Bloody-Ghost arm!
At that moment, the towering Ralph seemed like nothing less than a mountain of gold to Yi Bai.
"Such opulence! Incredible!"
Yi Bai had gone to great lengths, involving Count Rose and Jiang Ling, to trick He Yi into paying 880,000 Ghost Coins.
And now Ralph, without a second thought, had quoted two million!
Yi Bai was stunned. How could he not be? The sheer difference in wealth was staggering!