Chapter 240
Three Purple Tier Slots (Third Update)
As Eivass struggled to wake up, he heard a tender and painful scream from the next room. It was Daiya’s voice.
Eivass immediately flipped over, only to be choked by dust and start coughing. The bed he was lying on was covered in a thick layer of dust, which scattered and flew as he moved. This inn had been abandoned for who knows how many years. This dilapidated room, like a haunted house, was the real world.
As Eivass moved, the Flame Butterfly that had been on his nose flew up and landed on his shoulder. However, Eivass didn’t rush out the door immediately. Instead, he reached toward his waist, only to find his gun missing.
Eivass immediately rushed to the corner of the room and opened his backpack, dumping out the jumbled mess of clothes, pistols, and banknotes. As his hand touched the gun, a long-lost light screen suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Demon Hunter +3]
[Extraordinary Weapon (Light Purple)]
[Firearm, Revolver, Capacity: Five Rounds]
[9mm Bullet (4/5)]
[Trait: Its damage to demons, spirits, and evil casters is significantly increased.]
[Elf Style: Malfunction rate greatly reduced, maintenance cost increased.]
[Module – Fragile Focus: When not taking damage for five seconds, accuracy gradually increases. When not taking damage for fifteen seconds, it increases to maximum.]
[Module – Elegant Aim: Accuracy is additionally greatly improved.]
[Module – Lightning Draw: Accuracy of the first shot is greatly improved.]
This was the first time Eivass had encountered a weapon with such pure modules since coming to this world. These modules were even as if a player had specifically farmed them… and it was the kind of top-tier weapon that would take months to farm just one. With accuracy raised to this level, one could basically hit a static target without aiming after drawing the gun. Even if the opponent was very fast, as long as one’s hand-speed limit could keep up, they could hit them.
Just holding this gun, Eivass felt his will become more focused, and his gun-holding hand became agile and swift.
But as Eivass pushed open the room door, he was blown back by the turbulent flow. The door to room 201 next door had already fallen outwards into the hallway. A pink-purple storm howled and blew, and the surrounding walls gradually became transparent like amethysts.
Eivass tried to rush over, but as the wind blew on him, he felt his body becoming paralyzed at a visible speed. A golden Flame Butterfly emerged from his left palm, then suddenly shattered, turning into a ball of golden light and flame. Eivass’s paralysis was immediately dispelled. He was enveloped in golden flames and crashed directly into room 201!
Room 201 was completely different from 202; there was no dust, and it looked as if it had just been cleaned. Even in room 201, the walls were already cracked, revealing the red-brown bricks inside. Under the constant blowing of the pink-purple storm, they gradually seeped out thick black-red blood drops. And at the center of the storm was Daiya.
She was currently kneeling on the bed in pain. She seemed to have been reading a storybook here just now, but the book had already been blown to the other side of the room. Her body was covered in cracks. These cracks were no longer small fissures but irregular fracture patterns thicker than her own fingers. Inside, flesh and blood or pink jelly-like substances writhed, continuously blowing out a storm as if breathing. Purple liquid was seeping from her entire body. Her skin and flesh were gradually being torn apart. The intense pain made Isabel scream as soon as she woke up, and now she was trembling powerlessly. Tears streamed down her face, making it impossible to distinguish between tears and the purple liquid dripping from the cracks. This purple liquid was Demon Blood.
Seeing Eivass rush in, she couldn’t help but whisper, “Save me… Dad…” But she quickly reacted and changed her plea to, “Kill me—”
Bang! Eivass didn’t hesitate and fired a shot. But it was useless. The air in front of Daiya suddenly cracked, like a car’s windshield shattering. She subconsciously closed her eyes, but the bullet didn’t hit her. Eivass continued to pull the trigger—two shots, three shots. After three consecutive shots, the Hallowed Silver Bullets, specialized for demons, couldn’t even touch Daiya, only shattering the part of the world in front of her more and more. After three shots, the world directly shattered a piece the size of a human head. Looking out the window through the gap, one could see the beautiful spring scenery of the first layer of the dream, and Daiya, who had closed her eyes in fright, her body unharmed.
If he hadn’t been determined and had just stumbled into this layer by chance, he might have hesitated now. However, Eivass merely opened his left hand again—two butterflies, one golden and one deep red, fluttered and flew towards Daiya kneeling on the bed. All Isabel could do was endure the increasing pain and try not to resist. But even so, the Nightmare gradually awakening within her began to retaliate spontaneously.
Suddenly, “Agni” cracked all over, and a large amount of blood gushed out. It was as if invisible blades had passed through his body; his clothes were undamaged, but his body bore wounds that went deep to the bone. The golden butterfly flew slowly and reached the “shattered world.” It flew in and then exploded—golden radiance lit up abruptly. In the air around Daiya, patches of light appeared, like a light source cupped by two hands. The light still seeped through the gaps between her fingers. The next moment, the deep red butterfly also suddenly exploded. A scorching flame storm howled, sucking everything around it in.
Then, the fourth shot. As the gunshot sounded, this bullet finally broke through the critical point. Daiya’s forehead was hit by the bullet, and she jolted backward under the impact. This was the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Under the combined effect of the flame storm and the purifying fire, the illusory shell outside Daiya finally shattered.
To resist the flames, she continuously released stronger demonic power from within her body, and the entire world around her shook violently. Like a lake covered in ice, when an ice pick pierces through, the transparent ice suddenly turns white. The surrounding “transparent” world also gradually exploded with frost flowers. But Eivass remained fearless, walking forward under the shattered space.
Isabel, who had woken up a bit, tried to shake her head, urging Eivass to leave. But her voice could no longer be heard—it was like a bad signal, her voice fading in and out, becoming louder and softer. The shattered space didn’t tear Eivass’s clothes but only cut his flesh. This was because it was not the space that was breaking, but the confusion between dream and reality.
“I… want to share a secret with you, Isabel,” Eivass said softly. “The first time we met, I won with this kind of power… but I actually don’t know if this method will work…” He was covered in blood, like a blood man, penetrating the barrier and struggling to walk in. It was like walking naked through a thorny jungle, a horrific injury that was unbearable to look at. For some reason, the Phantom Demon within Isabel became increasingly quiet.
“But I believe this is the essence of the Path of Devotion. At this moment, I can try. I should try.” He said in a low voice, extending his blood-soaked right hand. He lightly tapped his index finger into the cracks on Isabel’s body. As the blood seeped in, Isabel felt the world become peaceful.
“—Selflessness, Sacrifice, Devotion.” Eivass said in a low voice, inserting his wrist into “Daiya’s” mouth. “Feast in silence, my lamb. I am the Holy Communion, this is Mercy.”
As the words fell, the sacred ritual was established. Daiya’s body was completely out of her control, and she madly bit Eivass’s wrist. The countless tiny wounds on his wrist were like mouths, easily sucking out warm flesh and blood. As she sucked the blood with large gulps, the purple patterns on her body gradually extinguished. At the same time, the bizarre radiance gradually transferred to Eivass’s eyes. Soon, after eating her fill, Daiya fell into an uncontrollable slumber.
As she fell asleep, the surrounding world tried to change again. “Don’t do this, Nightmare,” Eivass said, raising his hand to stop it. The Nightmare was also very obedient, and the changes instantly stopped. By now, a large part of the Nightmare had flowed into Eivass’s body through the flesh and blood medium. Eivass had appeased it with his own flesh and blood.
“Six people are enough…” Eivass said softly. “It seems I don’t need to go to the Sub-level personally… But Topaz is a good person. Let’s pull him back too, shall we?” His voice was soft as he looked at the other person beside him. Even if he couldn’t help him ascend, at least he wouldn’t let him fail and be punished. This ritual had become so complicated because of Eivass’s involvement. Among the four from the Church, only Pure White understood what had happened. Topaz was completely innocent; this was an undeserved disaster. If it weren’t for Eivass, with his strength, he might have ascended easily. Now, not only did he fail to ascend, but his soul might even be injured because of it… His future was originally very bright, and he had a girl he liked. Eivass couldn’t ruin someone’s future for no reason; he had to take responsibility.
With the Nightmare’s vision, Eivass could finally see what the Earthbound Spirit looked like. “My mission requires me to kill the person you possessed, but you never possessed anyone, Alice. Although the Nightmare found you a body, a big sister you liked, you never used it because you didn’t want to hurt others… I think you are a good child. You just didn’t want your first friend to die, so you tried your best to weave a warm dream to protect her…”
Looking at the pale blue and purple spirit of the little girl, Eivass softly promised, “I will find you in reality and let you rest in peace. Within a month, I will find you… But for now, please return Topaz first. Or you can put him in a higher-level dream.”
“In exchange…” Eivass spread his arms and said calmly, “If you have complaints, pain, or feel hungry, eat me first. I’ll exchange him for you.” Alice stared at Eivass. After a long time, her body suddenly blurred, and she slowly floated over. She merged into Eivass’s body, and Eivass felt a cold, chilling power fill his limbs. Even the flames drawn by the Path of Devotion could not dispel it.
“…It’s a deal,” a tender and ethereal voice echoed. “I’ll wait for you…” Hearing this, Eivass was stunned. This voice didn’t sound like a simulated soul created by a Pillar God… It sounded just like the real Earthbound Spirit Alice…
“…Are you trying to help me complete my mission?” Eivass retorted. But the Earthbound Spirit Alice never responded again. Instead, a strong suction force suddenly came from within Eivass’s body—he felt his life force and mana rapidly draining, as if flowing into the void. Was this a test? A price? Or help? Or just simple gluttony? Eivass suddenly felt a bit curious about Alice.
He wasn’t lying, because he did intend to find Alice. Earthbound Spirits were not high-level Phantoms, so they couldn’t become Eivass’s summoned beasts. But they could be sealed into cards like Shadow Demons. If she was still here, when Eivass went to Shepherd’s Bay Country, he could find her in this dilapidated inn…
“Remember not to drag me into the Sub-level, Alice…” As he gradually succumbed to sleepiness, Eivass murmured, “Even if I die, let me die in reality… Take it, my flesh and blood. My life, my everything… it’s all yours… Eat well… eat… happily…” Eivass whispered, gradually leaning forward powerlessly, collapsing by the bedside and losing consciousness.
After an unknown amount of time, Eivass woke up again. He saw a pure white radiance illuminating before his eyes. A series of constantly changing images appeared before him: a reporter elegantly playing the violin in front of a storm, with everyone bound behind her; Daiya holding open the window with both hands, her body drenched by the rain, yet still staring at the prompt in the starry sky without moving; Daiya inserting the muzzle of a gun into her throat and pressing the trigger with all her might; Eivass aiming the gun at his own neck, tilting his head slightly with an fearless and composed smile. The shot fell, piercing the shattered space and slamming Daiya’s head backward…
Then, the image abruptly stopped and turned black. The scenes of Eivass using the Shepherd’s Method were all erased. But in the black screen, the sounds of sucking and swallowing accompanied by crying could be heard. Finally, only a little girl’s voice softly echoed: “…It’s a deal. I’ll wait for you.” As her voice faded, Eivass’s vision was no longer pitch black but filled with light. Light screens rapidly descended—these were Eivass’s settlement points:
[Necessary Mission Completed]
[The Heart is the Sanctuary: Did not hide in the room, actively contacted and introduced oneself to others in each dream layer (Points: 300)]
[Village Teacher: Continued to play the teacher Agni Silva, trying not to be exposed (Not Completed)]
[Eagle Eye: Saw through everyone’s true identity (Not Completed)]
[My Unchanging Nature: Allowed six people to pass through the ritual (Points: 1000)]
[Catching the Nightmare: Killed “Merlin” at least once (Points: 1000)]
[Nightmare Killer: Killed “Merlin” in the real world (Not Completed)]
[Judgement and Restraint: Tried not to kill anyone other than “Merlin” (Not Completed)]
[Free Will: Escaped Daiya’s mental control (Points: 500)]
[Morality and Duty: Executed the out-of-control Daiya before the Phantom Demon fully hatched (Not Completed)]
[Extra Person: Killed the person possessed by the Earthbound Spirit “Alice” (Points: 1000)]
[Source of Nightmares: Found the origin of the dream (Points: Max 2000)]
[Total Points: 5900, Rank: First]
The next moment, a Great Philosopher Eivass had never seen before appeared from afar. He was a one-eyed man of about fifty, riding an eight-legged horse. He was tall, with a white beard, and his piercing single eye seemed to see through all mysteries. He wore a cloak as deep blue as the night sky, and in his right hand, he held a weapon that looked like both a spear and a staff, emitting a radiant glow. He looked at Eivass and let out a satisfied laugh. Then, he threw the weapon in his hand—it instantly pierced Eivass’s body, and everything before him shattered like a dream.
Accompanied by three buzzing sounds, three purple lights flashed simultaneously:
[Flesh and Blood Dedication (Purple): You have mastered the art of self-sacrifice. Now you will master it even more.]
[Dream Walker (Purple): You walk among dreams as if wading through a solitary river. You are no longer deceived by illusions and dreams.]
[Body of Light (Purple): Your heart is so clear. This allows every corner of your body to shine brightly.]
Eivass was stunned. Did the old Great Philosopher not give him a Vessel slot?
Today is a ten-thousand-word update! (Roar!)
Strong cat— (Cat paw!)
Received feedback, feels like the reader’s experience of following the update is not friendly (Contemplation)
Then the next three books or so will not be brain-burning battles! Let’s fight! (Cat paw!)
