novelnext Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Chapter 112: Love for yourself
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
From the depths of the dark corridor, the Electrician Ghost let out a wretched scream!
But that sound lasted less than half a second before being cut off abruptly.
Its body collapsed in an instant, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke.
And that black smoke was forcibly drawn into a lantern!
That lantern swayed and radiated a primordial violet light so thick it had turned black!
It was none other than the Sovereign Lantern!
"Born for war, resting only in death."
In the darkness, Jiang Nan murmured softly.
As he slowly stepped out of the shadows, the violet spectral light illuminated the Dragon God Imperial Armor.
And at his toned waist, a crimson brand in the shape of 2 crossed rifles.
The Hunter Mark was radiating a scorching red glow.
The "great terror" that Guan Ming had described—one that even fierce ghosts would fear—was, in truth… him!
"Wow! Master looks so cool!!"
Piano, following behind, trembled with excitement.
Jiang Nan, as always, wore that same expressionless look.
The reason they were still on the 8th floor, rather than heading to the Fate Casino on the 10th—
It wasn't because they'd gotten lost.
It wasn't because he'd been doing anything with Piano either.
It was because…
Blocking the elevator door leading to the upper floors was a hospital bed.
That bed had been subjected to some kind of forced spatial rule.
The moment anyone touched it, they would be instantly teleported back to the entrance of the 8th floor's Safe Zone!
Obviously, someone was deliberately blocking their path, preventing them from attending that crucial high-stakes game.
'Who could it be?'
Jiang Nan stroked his chin.
He thought back—since entering this hospital, there was only 1 faction he had clearly offended.
That was the Card Players' Association.
The one leading them, that fellow called Chen Daozi, had sworn up and down as he left and dropped some threatening words.
'80% chance it's a trap they set up,' Jiang Nan thought inwardly.
'The remaining 20%—just some Cursed Creature in this hospital causing trouble.'
The other party's objective was crystal clear.
To trap him below, preventing him from reaching the 10th floor to claim the 【Fate Slot Machine】
‘But… forget it.’
Contempt flashed in Jiang Nan's eyes.
He lowered his head and looked at the 【Hunter】 brand at his waist.
At the very start of this crisis, Piano had already explained in detail the hospital's hidden rules to him.
This was the Fate Slot Machine's Master ReselectionCeremony officially beginning.
This was no longer a card game requiring sitting at a table and scheming against one another.
This was a life-or-death battle royale called "Werewolf"!
As long as he, as the Hunter with a 10-fold physical enhancement bonus, killed those Werewolves—
And ultimately seized the Fate Slot Machine by force—then all schemes and plots would be crushed by absolute power!
At the same time……
This hospital-wide battle royale.
Was practically a tailor-made experience-farming machine for the SovereignLantern he had just obtained!
The corner of Jiang Nan's mouth curved upward.
He turned to look at the Sovereign Lantern hovering at his side.
At this moment, the violet light inside it was blazing brilliantly!
Evidently, the soul of that Electrician Ghost just now had "fed" it well.
Immediately after, the Sovereign Lantern also conveyed information to Jiang Nan through his palm.
【Successfully absorbed the soul of a B-Grade Electrician Ghost!】
【Grand Love Points gained: 5,000!】
With a single thought, Jiang Nan directly summoned the Sovereign Lantern's Attribute Panel.
【Sovereign Lantern】
【Type】: Cursed Object
【Grade】: F-Grade (Grand Love Points required for next grade: 1,000)
【Function】: Slaying and imprisoning souls.
Current Kill Line: 5%
Current Mini-World Size: 10 cubic meters
Imprisoned Souls: 0
Note: The Electrician Ghost has perished and has been directly converted into Grand Love Points.
【Grand Love Points】: 5,000
'Grand Love Points…'
Jiang Nan studied the Sovereign Lantern before him.
Regardless of what sort of person had left this lantern behind—
There was no denying that this thing was absolutely a bug-tier Cursed Object!
‘Upgrade.’
Jiang Nan didn't hesitate for a single moment—with one thought, he issued the command directly to the Sovereign Lantern.
Converting hidden cards into actual combat power as early as possible—that was the only truth.
Hmmm!!
The moment Jiang Nan issued the command, the violet orb of light inside the Sovereign Lantern instantly began to boil!
【Consuming 1,000 Grand Love Points! The Sovereign Lantern has been upgraded from F-Grade to E-Grade!】
【Consuming 2,000 Grand Love Points! The Sovereign Lantern has been upgraded from E-Grade to D-Grade!】
Immediately after, the form of the Sovereign Lantern began to transform.
Dark golden spiritual markings started to emerge, and the mass of Primordial Violet Aura at the wick grew far denser than before!
Even at the edges of the violet light, wisps of black thread began to seep outward!
Jiang Nan closed his eyes, rapidly absorbing the flood of new information flowing into his mind.
【Sovereign Lantern】
【Type】: Cursed Object
【Grade】: D-Grade (Grand Love Points required for next grade: 5,000)
【Function】: Slaying and imprisoning souls.
Current Kill Line: 15%
Current Mini-World Size: 50 cubic meters
Imprisoned Souls: 0
【New Function】: Grand Love Upon the Body.
Can directly consume Grand Love Points stored within the lantern to permanently enhance physical constitution with no side effects!
Note: This function can also be used on others.
【Remaining Grand Love Points】: 2,000
'Oh?'
Jiang Nan finished reading the panel and gave a slight nod.
'A 15% absolute Kill Line, and this Grand Love Upon the Body…'
'This new function is actually quite good.'
The remaining 2,000 Grand Love Points weren't enough to upgrade the lantern to C-Grade anyway—might as well use them to test the new function's effect.
"Grand Love Upon the Body."
Jiang Nan's mind stirred.
【Consuming 2,000 Grand Love Points to enhance the host! Strengthening in progress…】
BOOM!!
The instant those words fell—
A torrent of heat surged outward from the Sovereign Lantern, flowing through Jiang Nan's arm and instantly flooding every inch of his body!
Crack, crack, crack, crack…
A rapid series of explosive sounds—bones and muscles—erupted from within Jiang Nan's body!
【Enhancement complete! Your base physical constitution has permanently leapt from D+-Grade to C+-Grade!】
"Huu……"
Jiang Nan exhaled a breath of white vapor.
He clenched his right fist, still encased in armored gauntlets.
Bang!
A single punch punched clean through the wall!
'Very good…'
Jiang Nan felt the power surging within him, the corners of his mouth curling into a fierce grin.
And this still wasn't all!
Don't forget—at his waist was still the Hunter Mark, representing a divine role!
During this special "dark night" phase, the Hunter Mark would grant him a full 10-fold physical enhancement!
A base constitution of C+-Grade, multiplied by a 10-fold rule amplification!
Jiang Nan made a rough estimate of his current peak physical strength.
It had absolutely crossed into B+-Grade territory!
Because he had once run tests—in this Cursed Creature world's power system—
Each time the body grade crossed a full major tier, the difference in raw power was 10-fold!
A perfect match with the Hunter Mark's 10-fold boost!
'With a body like this, I should be able to endure the backlash all the way through the 5th line in one go,' Jiang Nan calculated inwardly.
In this apocalypse world where restrictions were everywhere, physical constitution was the foundation of everything!
It was also the underlying logic behind unleashing the Dragon God Imperial Armor.
The stronger the body, the more terrifying the power he could unleash!
'Looks like I'll have to put in serious effort farming in this battle royale.'
He thought as much.
His heart brimmed with intense curiosity about what functions would unlock as the Sovereign Lantern continued to level up.
And so, Jiang Nan turned his head and looked at Piano, who was still standing beside him starry-eyed.
He retracted the Dragon God Imperial Armor's dragon claws, scrawled a line on his Notepad, and flicked it at Piano's face.
【Let's go.】
【Other floors. Continue hunting.】
"Yes, Master!!"
Piano excitedly snatched the note off her face.
"Piano will definitely keep pace with Master!"
Saying so, she proudly fished 2 vials of serum from her pocket and waved them in front of Jiang Nan.
"Master, look! I drew the 【Witch】 role!"
"Anyone who dares block Master's path—I'll poison them to death!"
"And if Master gets tired…"
"I can… heheheh~"
She let out a lovesick giggle and shook the healing serum.
“Restoring stamina is acceptable too, right?”
Jiang Nan couldn't be bothered to deal with this attendant whose head was full of filth. He turned and walked toward the elevator at the end of the corridor.
‘Come to think of it—strange.’
In the short 1 minute just now, while Jiang Nan absorbed the Electrician Ghost and his strength surged dramatically—
The hospital bed that had been firmly blocking the elevator door, for some unknown reason, quietly vanished into thin air without a sound!
As though the person obstructing them from the shadows had voluntarily removed the roadblock.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Jiang Nan brought Piano along and stepped inside, pressing the button for the upper floors.
And in the very last moment before the elevator doors slowly closed—
At an extremely shadowy corner of the corridor—
A figure dressed in a nurse's uniform was hiding in the darkness, silently watching Jiang Nan's retreating silhouette…
……
At the same time—
"Huu… huu… cough cough cough!!"
Guan Ming and Silk-Stocking Desperado were currently hiding inside a ward, gasping for breath.
He leaned against the wall and couldn't help dry heaving a few times.
"This… this is way too brutal…"
He looked at the 【Seer】 mark on his wrist, laughing bitterly.
This damned mark.
Completely useless.
That frantic sprint of just a few hundred meters just now—
Had reminded him of the days back at police academy.
The terror of being forced by a devil instructor to run high-grade loaded cross-country courses!
Every time he finished, he'd vomit up a few mouthfuls of stomach acid before finally adapting after a long while.
"Oh my oh my~ Little bro, I really have to thank you this time~"
Silk-Stocking Desperado sprawled backward onto a hospital bed, crossing her legs and looking smug.
"If that unknown monster at the end of the corridor just now had caught up to us—"
"We'd probably both be dead already, turned into spare parts scattered on the floor~"
Guan Ming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"I was just lucky…"
"But that great terror didn't seem to have any interest in us 2."
"Haha, of course not—even a killer has to be efficient about things."
Silk-Stocking Desperado made a sharp shushing gesture.
"We happened to be in absolute darkness just now."
"It didn't see us, so naturally it wouldn't come looking for us."
Saying so, Silk-Stocking Desperado didn't pause for a single moment—she yanked the white bed sheets and duvet covers off the hospital bed.
Riiip! Riiip!
She tore the fabric into strips, then connected them end to end, tying dead knots throughout.
"Sis Desperado… what are you doing?"
Guan Ming watched her actions with confusion.
"Running away, obviously—idiot."
Silk-Stocking Desperado tied one end of the knotted rope tightly to the radiator pipe and threw the other end out the window.
"Since the 8th floor has a great terror, staying here is just waiting to die."
"We'll have to find another way down to a lower floor and look for a backup elevator!"
"That 7th floor—I had my eye on it from the very start as a prime feng shui location!"
"The Safe Zone there is extremely enclosed! What a shame that wretched woman Tiffany snatched it right out from under me."
"Now that the 'Rigged Werewolf Game' is active and all the rules have been reshuffled, that Tiffany woman is probably struggling to protect herself."
"We'll walk right in and take over the nest!"
"I see…"
Only then did Guan Ming recall—this big sister with a record of 77 wins and 1 loss.
The only time she'd ever suffered a setback and lost was to Tiffany, the 7th Seat.
‘This woman really holds grudges.’
Shortly after, Guan Ming stepped forward to help as well.
Fortunately, he had studied this kind of escape subject back at the police academy.
Because the battle royale had activated, the rule-protection barrier on the hospital's exterior walls had also been nullified.
The 2 of them successfully rappelled from the 8th floor window down to a certain room's windowsill on the 7th floor.
However…
The moment the 2 of them steadied their footing on the 7th floor's window ledge and prepared to break through the glass to get inside—
Through the glass window—
The sight within stopped both of them dead, neither daring to take a single step inside!!
Because inside that room—
"Kekekekeke!"
A hunched Plague Ghost Doctor was letting out a strange laugh!
Its entire body was bare—not a single patch of skin in sight!
In place of skin were blisters oozing yellow-green toxic fluid!!
And from its bird-beak mouth, it kept spitting out streams of venomous insects!
While standing opposite this Ghost Doctor, engaged in battle with it—
Was a man wearing a white mask!
"Hahaha!! I'm over here~"
"Oh wait, no no!"
"I'm over here! Come catch me, dummy~"
The masked man let out a laugh.
As though playing hide-and-seek with that terrifying bird-beaked monster!
Every time the monster's toxic claws were about to touch him—
Or toxic fluid was about to spray onto his body—
Hum!
The masked man's silhouette would instantly blur!
Like time flowing in reverse—
Or like a spatial jump—he would appear out of nowhere in another corner of the room!
Without a scratch!
"That… what the hell is that disgusting thing?!"
Guan Ming, hanging outside the window, asked, his face ashen white.
"Just looking at those pus-filled sores on it… it's destroying my sanity points!"
Silk-Stocking Desperado narrowed her eyes.
"That thing…"
"I've seen its portrait before in an intelligence trade…"
"If I remember right, it's one of the 4 S-Grade Cursed Creatures of this hospital—the Director of the Microbiology Department."
"The Plague Ghost."
"S-Grade?!"
Guan Ming didn't even dare to think about it.
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and pointed at the masked man.
"That… that guy in the faceless mask—isn't he the one who was following alongside Tiffany earlier?"
"And he can make an S-Grade Plague Ghost look like a complete fool…"
"Can he win?"
"Hard to say…"
Silk-Stocking Desperado made a sharp shushing gesture.
"Arashin-kai's 6th Seat—the Joker. Even Chen Daozi just now couldn't stop him from leaving."
"Sure, these so-called Divine Chosen are powerful, but I don't know their exact strength either."
"Whether he can defeat the Plague Ghost—let's just keep watching."
"After all, right now we're just passersby watching the show."
Silk-Stocking Desperado let out a cold laugh. "Let's stay outside for now… and see how things develop."
"If there's an opening to exploit…"
"Heh heh heh—I'm not exactly a pushover."
Bunny-Bunny