The demon hunter choked. You did one cesarean section and now you dare perform bone-scraping therapy on me?! He wanted nothing more than to tear the boy in front of him limb from limb—but he held back, eventually.
Because, for all the agony, the kid had actually cured his wound. He took another deep breath, forcing down the rage and frustration boiling inside him. He set Lynn down, stared into his eyes sharply, ground his teeth, and closed his eyes. "Listen to me. If I hear even a whisper of rumors about me passing out here, you know what'll happen. Do I make myself clear?"
[Danger Level: 99%]
Lynn's eyes widened, and he nodded frantically like a bobblehead. "Don't worry! Customer privacy is our top priority—we'd guard it with our lives!"
[Danger Level: 10%]
The demon hunter exhaled, pulled his hat back on, and fished a pouch of coins from his coat, still grinding his teeth. "How much for the surgery? Name your price."
He'd never step foot in this racket again—not in a million years. It was too draining!
Lynn shook his head at once, giving a sincere, innocent smile as he clasped his hands. "No need to pay. This surgery's on me, fellow clansman. Just visit the shop more often in the future!"
[Ding! Quest Completed. Reward: 500 Skull Coins.]
Like I'd ever visit this dump again! The demon hunter took a deep breath, gripping his gun as he closed his eyes. "Don't think sucking up to me will make me forget what happened. Not even for a fellow clansman!"
He'd seen right through Lynn's attempt to latch onto a powerful ally. But he was a loner—and he sure as hell didn't want to drag around a kid who'd constantly remind him of this painful ordeal.
He glanced at Lynn, pulled his coat on, adjusted his hat, and said in a low voice: "I'll also advise you—don't stay here too long. Creatures like us humans, without real survival skills, will end up as monster food sooner or later."
Lynn sensed an opportunity. For all his threats to blow Lynn's brains out, the demon hunter clearly cared about his fellow humans—he hadn't actually killed him, after all.
"Then how do I leave this world?" Lynn asked hastily. "To be honest, I stumbled here by accident. Beyond this shop, I know nothing about the outside world!"
The demon hunter smoothed his sleek black hair and scoffed. "You're lucky. Plenty of people fall into this world from other realms—but most end up as monster chow."
"All I can tell you is this:"
"This is the lowest level of Sin City. If you want to leave this world, the only way—other than dying—is to become strong enough. Only the powerful stand a chance of escaping."
He twirled the revolver in his hand, tilting his hat up slightly with the barrel. Lynn: "..."
Great. That was basically useless information. Still, he'd gotten a key clue: Ghost Alley, where he lived, was part of the lowest level of a place called [Sin City].
Lynn muttered: "Does that mean I'll never get out of this hellhole? I'm terrified every time I see those monsters…"
Wait a minute! The demon hunter ground his teeth, his eyes twitching wildly. With the way you treated me earlier, it should be the monsters here who're terrified of you! Dammit.
He gave Lynn a flat look. "Enough talk. I believe in fair trade. You cured my wound, so I won't shortchange you. If you don't want coins, pick any valuable item off me—take whatever you want."
He spread his arms, embodying the boldness of a demon hunter.
Lynn hesitated for a moment, then his gaze locked onto the two metallic revolvers holstered at the hunter's waist.
[Demon-Hunting Revolvers (Cursed): Pale Demon Hunter]
[Rarity: Legendary]
[Capacity: 6 Demon-Hunting Rounds (Self-Replenishing)]
[Description: One of two demon-hunting guns Ocalos brought from the mortal world. Deals massive damage to wraiths, vampires, demons, mutants, and aberrations.]
Snap—
Lynn grabbed one of the guns. Snap—
The demon hunter grabbed his wrist in a vice grip. An eerie silence fell.
The corner of the hunter's eye curled up as he sneered. "Damn good taste—you picked the most valuable thing I own!"
Lynn said seriously: "These two guns look so cool."
The hunter scoffed. "Of course they're cool. Did you expect anything less from my guns?"
"..."
"Do you use these guns to hunt monsters often?"
"No. I've never killed a single monster with them," the hunter said flatly.
"Why not?"
Swish—Swish—Swish—
The hunter flicked his fingers, spinning both revolvers nimbly in his hands. In an instant, two dark muzzles were pointed straight at Lynn's head.
Lynn: "?!!!"
The hunter's expression was cold as he pulled the triggers.
Bang—Bang—Bang—Bang—Bang—Bang—
Gunshots rang out one after another—twelve in total. Twelve bullets flew out, and Lynn stood frozen (??Д??) as a outline of his head, made of bullet holes, appeared in the wall behind him.
"Hmm…" The hunter blew lightly on the smoke drifting from the muzzles, his tone casual. "They're definitely cool, but these guns have a fatal flaw. I think you just saw it."
Lynn stared in shock (??Д??): "Bullet… bullet outlining?"
The hunter scoffed. "Bullet outlining? A fitting description. To be precise, these guns are cursed. No matter what angle you shoot from, the bullets will never hit the target. So…"
He holstered the guns calmly. "Other than showing off, they're good for absolutely nothing else—just showing off."
...
An awkward silence lingered. Lynn stared blankly: "Then I don't want them…"
He turned to leave.
Bang—Bang—Bang—Bang—
Bullets hit the ground at his feet, making Lynn jump in terror (ΩДΩ) and press himself tightly against the wall.
The hunter held the smoking guns, his voice flat. "Once you've picked something, you can't back out. I value my word above all else. If you refuse, you're insulting me. So I'll give you one more chance—do you want them or not?"
Lynn glared: "I want them!"
A faint smile tugged at the hunter's bearded lips. He spun the revolvers once more and slammed them down on the operating table.
"That's my clansman—bold. If the curse didn't stop me from throwing these guns away, I would've dumped them long ago. I'm glad you're taking them off my hands."
Lynn's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean?"
The hunter smiled faintly. "Because of the curse, I can't get rid of these guns. They can only be traded to a fellow clansman who shows a strong desire for them, through fair trade."
"But as you know, humans are scarce in this hellhole. Finding someone to take them was harder than I thought."
[Demon Hunter's Affinity: +20]
He's actually gaining affinity?! Lynn seethed (〝▼皿▼).
The hunter adjusted his hat, turned toward the main hall, and said slowly: "Since you've done me such a big favor, I'll pass along a warning. Tonight, no matter what sounds you hear outside, don't go out. Don't even open the door."
"Some dangerous guests have come to town…"
Lynn froze. That was the same warning his master had given him.
He hurried to ask: "What kind of monsters?"
The hunter scoffed. "Trust me—you don't want to know. And one more thing…"
"If you survive until tomorrow, I think we'll meet again. Hehe."
In the next moment, the hunter's body dissolved into a wisp of smoke, fading away in front of Lynn's eyes.
...