His eyes flickered.
He was starting to suspect that Bloody Chainsaw's little apprentice might have already been turned into a patchwork creature.
An ordinary person would never stay this calm facing him.
"I don't want yours. I want my own eyeball," the Pig-Head growled hoarsely.
Ding! Danger Level decreased to 45.
Lyn's expression stayed neutral. With a casual motion, he pressed his own eyeball back into its socket, sat down, and reached into his coat.
"Actually… I do have one."
Under the Pig-Head's shocked gaze, Lyn pulled out a large eyeball, still slick with flesh and blood, and it was moving.
Clatter—
The Pig-Head shot to his feet. "Th-this… this is—"
Yes—he recognized it instantly. That was the eyeball the old hag had taken from him. How did it end up with this human apprentice?!
Lyn placed it on the counter and said calmly, "Met that kind old granny this morning. She gave it to me as a toy."
Pig-Head Demon SAN -30!
Cold sweat trickled from the bristles on the back of the Pig-Head's neck down his spine. He knew exactly how terrifying the scavenger was. With his own strength, he'd lost an eye easily to her; if she'd wanted his head, she'd have taken it without effort.
And that scavenger… had actually given her prize to this puny human?!
He found himself increasingly convinced this apprentice was no ordinary person.
No—he was bordering on terrifying.
Because he couldn't see through the human's depths.
Ding! Danger Level decreased to 20.
The Pig-Head eyed Lyn warily. "…Something the old granny gave you… You'd really sell it to me?"
Lyn replied flatly, "Not a gift—it's for sale. Two hundred Skeleton Coins. Market price."
Was he really unfazed?
The Pig-Head scrutinized him, hunting for a crack. Could there be some close connection between this guy and the scavenger?
Ding! Danger Level decreased to 10.
Clatter—
The Pig-Head pulled a pouch from his coat and dumped a pile of Skeleton Coins onto the counter. Staring at Lyn, he said, "Fine. I'll buy it."
Lyn calmly swept the coins into the register, put on fresh gloves and a mask, and picked up a monocle. "Deal. Do you want the procedure here, or shall we go to the operating table?"
"Here," the Pig-Head said firmly.
Nobody in Wandering Soul Alley wanted to set foot on Bloody Chainsaw's operating table.
"Okay." Lyn picked up the boning knife. "Lean on the counter, rest your head on the surface. If it hurts, you can scream."
The Pig-Head sneered fiercely. "Scared of pain?"
Spray—
Lyn took a swig of alcohol and sprayed it over the gleaming blade.
The Pig-Head fell silent.
Lighting a candle, he heated the blade over the flame for several minutes. Then, squinting, Lyn approached the pig-head step by step. A drop of cold sweat fell onto the counter.
Pig-Head trembled. "Installing an eyeball needs a knife?"
Pig-Head SAN -10
Lyn replied coolly, "Took a quick look—there's quite a bit of stone and clotted blood in your socket. Means you don't take care of your eyes. Consider this a free extra service. No need to thank me."
"W-wait!" the Pig-Head panicked.
But it was too late.
Crack crack crack—crack crack—
"Aaaaah—aaaaah—"
The Pig-Head let out a heart-wrenching scream.
…
Blade Skill EXP +1
Blade Skill EXP +1
Blade Skill EXP +1
Minutes later, Lyn cleaned out the leftover debris with disinfectant, puzzled why the gain was Blade Skill instead of Surgical Ability.
"All done." Lyn wiped the boning knife with a cloth.
"Don't move. The next step is installing the eyeball. Move around, and I might put it in backwards."
The Pig-Head lay there, foam bubbling from his snout, twitching uncontrollably—clearly not hearing a word.
Lyn blinked, muttered, "Shoot…"
Forgot the anesthetic…
Apparently, he'd forgotten it last time when sewing the doll's arm, too…
Oh well.
Lyn shook his head, regained his calm, and used tweezers to lift the [Pig-Shop Owner's Eyeball] from its reagent jar. He scanned the shelves and, seconds later, took down a white bottle from above.
Faint handwritten numbers—"5," "0," "2"—were visible on the label.
"What's that?!" the Pig-Head managed, recovering slightly.
Lyn, holding the eyeball, gave the bottle a small shake. "My custom super adhesive. Prevents the eyeball from falling out during installation. Plus, with my teacher's special high-recovery potion, we're looking at a 95% success rate."
He explained this with full professional seriousness.
The Pig-Head trembled. "Just get it done! Got it?! I don't want to spend another second here! Understand?!"
Lyn nodded. "Relax. We, physicians, have strong professional ethics."
He calmly mixed the viscous adhesive, spread it evenly around the eyeball socket, positioned it carefully, and gently placed the eyeball in. Using specialized tools, he adjusted its angle.
Feeling around in his toolbox, he pulled out a hammer.
Pig-Head: "(ΩДΩ)!!"
Pig-Head SAN -20!
"Wh-what are you doing?! What are you doing!!" the Pig-Head shrieked in terror.
Lyn frowned. "Stop moving. This is the final physical step. If you mess up the position, I'll have to take it out and redo it—and that means a bigger surgery fee."
He held the Pig-Head still and, with careful taps, dong dong dong, installed the eyeball with focused precision.
Minutes later, Lyn paused.
The Pig-Head twitched. "W-what?! What happened?!"
Lyn frowned. "It's in backwards."
Pig-Head: "(ΩДΩ)!!"
"Don't worry." Lyn's expression stayed cool. He gripped the implant bracket, yanked upward—
Riiip—
Amid the Pig-Head's screams and plummeting SAN, Lyn removed the wrongly placed eyeball.
"Just a minor medical mishap." Lyn calmly repositioned it. "This one's free. I'll adjust it properly."
The Pig-Head let out a series of shrill screams, thrashing wildly. "I don't want it! I'm not doing this here!!"
SAN -20!
SAN -20!
"Don't move!" Lyn's gaze sharpened. "This is the final step. As a doctor, since you paid, I must take responsibility for you! I have to ensure every patient leaves here intact!"
With that, Lyn raised the hammer with a fierce glint.
"Stop!!" the Pig-Head bellowed in horror.
Bang—
Sparks flew.