Surviving Until Dawn

Minutes later.

Yoyo rose blankly, allowing Lynne to adjust her helmet and hang her bag as if she were a doll. He bundled up the strange tissues that had been chopped off her body and strapped them to her back, suggesting they could serve as mementos.

"A perfect treatment," Lynne gave her a thumbs up with a smile, "If you found our service satisfactory, please leave us a positive review. Come back next time, and you'll get a 10% discount."

Quickly, Yoyo o(╥﹏╥)o hugged her helmet, saying, "Thank... thank you. Can I go now?"

Lynne's gaze scrutinized her from head to toe, a brow slightly raised. He twirled the scalpel in his hand, musing, "Something seems off. I remember the last time I applied the potion, nothing odd grew on you..." His eyes were filled with uncertainty.

"So, I'm unsure if there might have been any other mutations."

[Black Moth Fairy's Sanity -10]

Yoyo (ŎдŎ;) responded, "Really?"

Lynne, still hesitant, asked, "Do you feel anything strange about your body? If you do, it's best to mention it now."

Holding her helmet in confusion, Yoyo replied, "Everything seems fine."

Curiously, she set down the bundle and jumped up and down. Her body felt the same as before. If any weird growths had appeared, she'd have noticed.

"There's nothing strange," she declared confidently.

Lynne sighed in relief, smiling, "That's good to hear. So, the potion doesn't always cause mutations, which is promising. Thank you for your cooperation and for being my test subject, hehehe—"

"..."

As Lynne waved goodbye with contentment, the dejected little fairy, clutching her head, flapped her wings up and down, disappearing into the misty darkness.

Lynne was filled with contentment. He took a deep breath of relief.

With confident strides, Lynne(*￣︶￣) returned to the surgery room, intending to tidy up. He pondered when he'd encounter such a cooperative customer again.

But then...

Clatter—

A metallic noise emanated from below.

Lynne's ears perked up instantly. The next moment, his gaze fell on the bulging bag on the ground, and his face turned rigid.

"Hold on... This seems to be..."

Subconsciously, he reached out and opened the bag. Immediately, a pile of shimmering black skull coins dazzled Lynne, nearly blinding him. He was taken aback.

Wait! Something's not right! Why is the fairy's money pouch here?!

He distinctly remembered seeing her chest swelling earlier, nearly bursting out of her clothing. He had assumed she had stuffed her money pouch there. But if she hadn't... What exactly was protruding from her chest?

"Did the fake become real?!"

Lynne felt his head go dizzy. With an unimaginable speed, he grabbed the money pouch and dashed outside, but the Black Moth Fairy was nowhere to be seen. The horrifying scene of the fairy realizing the truth the next time she intended to use her money emerged in Lynne's mind.

Lynne(; д ; ).

If that really was the case... He hoped she would realize soon and come back while things could still be rectified. Before it's too late!

...

Holding the money pouch, Lynne continued to doze off at the counter, waiting for new customers. But for some reason, today's business was lackluster. Apart from the outlander Black Moth Fairy, there were only a handful of patrons. Amidst this sheer boredom, evening crept up once again.

"Has Master not returned yet?" Lynne glanced at the black mist outside, his face showing signs of worry. Today marked the third day. Even if his teacher had been delayed by something, there should've been some message by now.

Lynne paced restlessly around the hall. Although his teacher wasn't human and often spoke coldly to him, it was his guidance that allowed Lynne, a mere human, to survive in the Dark World for the past two years. Without his teacher's wisdom, he wouldn't possess the vast knowledge of medical arts and alchemy he did now.

"I hope Master comes back by tomorrow morning," Lynne whispered, eyes filled with concern as he gazed at the black mist outside. As he took down the soul lamp that was about to extinguish from the pillar, preparing to close shop, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, his pupils dilated, and pain flashed across his face. He violently coughed up a pool of foul-smelling, bright red blood. As he watched in horror, the blood on the ground writhed and crawled, contorting to form six grotesque bloody characters.

DANGER! LEAVE! NOW!

With a sizzling sound, the crimson characters lasted for mere seconds before vanishing into thin smoke. Almost simultaneously, a system notification sounded in his ear.

[Ding! You've successfully triggered the mission: Blood Night.]

[Mission Introduction: Find every possible way to survive until dawn.]

[Rewards: 2000 Skull Coin, 2000 Experience, Special Reward x1, Special Achievement x1]

Lynne's heart raced, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Whatever awaited him tonight, he had to be prepared. Whatever was coming, it wasn't going to be easy.

Lynne's pupils contracted instantly. He swiftly crouched down, furrowing his brow as he peered at the spot where the fresh blood had vanished.

"Master?"

At a glance, he recognized the script of those six bloody characters. Had his master used some spell to specifically send him this warning? What on Earth was happening?

Lynne abruptly looked up, his eyes narrowing intently towards the deepening black mist outside the door. Moreover, along with his master's warning, there was also a task triggered by the system. Compared to the previous "survival" tasks, the rewards for this one were multifold. Even more generous than the rewards from the day with the Origin-level monster! This clearly indicated that the crisis he was about to face was going to be exceptionally intense.

What could it be? Could it be that his master encountered some danger outside, and now that peril was creeping towards his Bloodsaw potion shop?

Without any hesitation, Lynne quickly composed himself, rushing back to the store with unimaginable speed.

[Flesh Regeneration Potion][Faceless' Heart][Demon Hunter's Revolver][Boning Knife][Soul Lamp] and so on.

These were the various special items he had acquired during this period. His current most significant reliance. He didn't opt to stay. Since his master had already sent a warning, it implied that staying would be courting death!

"Better to spend the night at the Miss Blood Clad's home. Even if she might take liberties with me, it's still safer than staying here!"

Lynne quickly packed a bag, lifting his head as he swiftly stepped through the main gate.

Whoosh, whoosh...

Gusts of chilly wind blew from the depths of the black mist.

Lynne's stepping foot immediately froze mid-air.

Deep within the black mist, a vast silhouette slowly emerged into his line of sight.

Thud...

Thud...

What followed next were footstep sounds so thunderous they felt as if they could make one's heart burst. For some inexplicable reason, the pitch-black fog gradually turned blood-red, and an indescribable pungent scent of blood pervaded the air.

[Warning! Warning! Crisis level has escalated to 100%]

[Warning! Warning!]