While the clinic lobby was filled with a joyful (and eerie) atmosphere thanks to a female ghost laughing until she was out of breath...
Outside the clinic, a pair—no, three pairs of eyes were staring intently from a dense patch of bushes.
"Growl... (Boss, this is the place.)"
A giant beast with a lion's head and a body covered in a golden mane lowered its voice, speaking to its companion in the middle who had a goat's head.
"The intel said the 'Pale Demon' is in this strange tower. When are we going to rush in and tear him to shreds?"
This was a chimera.
A magical synthetic beast stitched together from different creatures.
The lion's head represented strength and fire, the goat's head represented cunning and magic, and the long tail, tipped with a venomous snake's head, represented poison and death.
This trinity made it another powerful S-rank overlord in this region, second only to the Twin-Headed Demon Wolf and the Bone Sovereign.
It had been taking a nap in its lair when it was woken up by bursts of boisterous laughter. Extremely annoyed, it followed the sound to see which short-lived fool dared to stir up trouble on its turf.
Instead, it saw this dark castle that looked completely out of place in the forest.
"Hiss... (Wait a little longer.)"
The long snake tail flicked its tongue, giving a cold warning.
"There is... a very dangerous aura here."
"Dangerous? How dangerous can it be?"
The lion's head snorted disdainfully, its golden pupils full of arrogance.
"With the three of us working together, we'd even dare to fight a dragon! Why should we fear a mere human mage?"
"Shh! Be quiet!"
The goat head in the middle, which had been silent, suddenly spoke. Its voice was old and raspy, filled with wisdom (and cunning).
"Look, the door is opening."
Creeeak—
The clinic's main door slowly opened.
The chimera immediately held its breath, shrinking its massive body even tighter.
It saw a human wearing an 【Indestructible Lab Coat (Bloodstained Edition)】 walking out with a smile, seeing off a female ghost floating in mid-air.
That female ghost...
The chimera's three heads tilted simultaneously, eyes filled with confusion.
It recognized that female ghost.
The Queen of Pain, a madwoman famous for her screams who wailed like a ghost wherever she went. She was annoying as hell.
But now...
Why was she laughing?
"Hahahaha... Doctor, thank you! Thank you so much!"
The Queen of Pain laughed so hard her body shook. She reached into her robe and pulled out a black crystal radiating dense resentment, stuffing it into Victor's hand.
"This is the 'Pain Crystal' I've accumulated for hundreds of years! It's my most precious possession! Consider it the medical fee! Hahahaha!"
"You're welcome."
Victor weighed the crystal in his hand and nodded with satisfaction.
【Obtained: High-quality soul material x1.】
Another significant income.
"Remember to come back for a follow-up on time," Victor reminded her. "This nerve block of mine is only temporary; it'll last about a month. If you feel the pain starting again, come over immediately. I'll give you a discount next time."
"Alright, alright! Hahahaha! I'll definitely come often! This place is just wonderful! Hahahaha!"
The Queen of Pain laughed, tears streaming down her face, as she floated away contentedly like a three-hundred-pound fool.
That boisterous laughter gradually faded into the distance of the forest.
The chimera's three heads looked at each other.
Lion head: "Did... did she just laugh?"
Snake tail: "Hiss... (It seems so... and she was crying, too.)"
Goat head: "She even called that demon 'doctor'? And gave him a black stone?"
The three heads fell into silence simultaneously.
Their brains were working hard to process this bizarre scene.
A vengeful spirit that lived on pain was taken inside by that white-robed demon to do god-knows-what, and after coming out, she could only laugh like an idiot?
And she gave away her treasure while laughing and crying?
What kind of operation was this?
Was it some kind of brainwashing?
Before they could figure it out...
Clack, clack...
Another figure walked out of the clinic.
It was a tall skeleton wearing a majestic black cloak.
But what drew the most attention was the blue flaming... Mohawk sitting atop its bald head.
That look was arrogant, domineering, and filled with a death-metal vibe.
"Aur?"
The chimera's lion head recognized its old rival.
Bone Sovereign Aur, a conservative, serious old bag of bones who cared immensely about his sovereign dignity.
How could he get such a... such a shameless hairstyle?
"Doctor!"
Aur walked up to Victor, his voice loud and full of unprecedented confidence.
"I was just passing by to see you. By the way, my subordinates have already spread word of your 'benevolent heart and skills' throughout the cemetery! Now they all know that anyone who dares to cause trouble near you is picking a fight with me, Aur!"
"Thank you for the trouble," Victor said, nodding with a smile.
"Oh, by the way, doctor." Aur leaned in closer, awkwardly touching his long flaming hair. "Is this hairstyle... a bit too flashy? Should I trim it a little more?"
"No, I think it's just right," Victor evaluated seriously. "It's full of youthful vitality. It suits you very well."
"Is that so? Haha! I think so too!"
Aur shook his head proudly, the blue flames tracing a brilliant arc in the air.
He bid farewell contentedly and walked away with a swaggering, overconfident stride.
The chimera's three heads fell back into a dead silence.
If the Queen of Pain's transformation was merely bizarre...
Then Aur's transformation caused them to feel a fear that originated from their very souls.
In their understanding...
That white-robed demon had tortured the Queen of Pain into madness, leaving her with nothing but a stupid laugh.
And he had captured the Bone Sovereign and turned him into a plaything, not only drilling holes in his head but also setting it on fire!
The most terrifying part was...
After enduring such inhuman torture, these two S-rank powerhouses didn't resist; instead, they were deeply grateful to him, even proactively offering their treasures and loyalty!
This...
This was no longer simple strength.
This was mental control! Soul enslavement!
This "Pale Demon" didn't just destroy your body; he could toy with your soul!
Gulp.
The chimera's lion head felt its throat go dry for the first time.
"Boss... I think... we should probably leave?"
"Hiss... (I agree.)" The snake tail nodded frantically.
"Hmm..." The goat head also felt that this was not a place to stay.
This human was too sinister.
Just as they were preparing to quietly retreat back the way they came...
Suddenly.
Rustle.
The bushes swayed slightly.
The white-robed doctor who had just seen off the skeleton king turned his head sharply as if he had eyes in the back of his head. His gaze was like lightning, accurately locking onto their hiding spot.
!!!
They were spotted!
The chimera's three hearts skipped a beat simultaneously.
It saw the expression on the man's face change instantly after he saw them.
That expression was familiar to them.
It was the look a hunter gave to a plump prey.
It was the look a butcher gave to a lamb led to the slaughter.
It was...
The look a doctor gave to a terminally ill patient who was a rare case of immense research value!
"Oh my."
Victor looked at the "three-headed monster" shivering in the bushes, his eyes shining like two lightbulbs.
【Detected S-rank patient: Chimera (Synthetic Beast).】
【Symptoms: multi-species gene rejection syndrome, severe scoliosis (S-shaped), multiple personality disorder...】
【Treatment suggestions: full-body gene recombination, Spinal Realignment surgery, selective cranial resection...】
Victor looked at the long list of symptoms and rubbed his hands excitedly.
A big client!
This was definitely a top-tier client even rarer than the Bone Sovereign!
"Sir, don't hide anymore, I've already seen you."
Victor put on his trademark professional smile that could scare the dead back to life and enthusiastically waved toward the bushes.
He pointed at the chimera's snake tail, which was twisted into an S-shape due to tension, and spoke in an extremely concerned tone:
"I see your spinal curvature is very severe."
"This is a disease. It needs treatment."
"Would you like to come in... and let me give you some bone setting?"
Bone setting?
Hearing those words, the chimera's head buzzed, and it instantly exploded with panic.
It remembered the goblin legend.
After three hammers, they stop screaming!
This demon...
He wanted to use a hammer to break its spine!
"No—!!!"
Fear eventually overrode everything else.
The chimera's lion head, goat head, and snake tail all let out a scream so shrill it was out of tune, speaking in unison.
"Help!!!"
It no longer cared about the dignity of an S-rank powerhouse and lunged out of the bushes.
Then, it turned and bolted!
It ran so desperately and so pathetically.
In its panic, the lion head wanted to run left while the goat head wanted to run right, causing its body to spin in place and nearly trip over itself.
Splash—
A warm liquid flowed down its furry thighs.
In its extreme terror, it had actually... become incontinent on the spot.
"Eh? Don't run!"
Victor watched the figure fleeing toward the deep mountains in total disarray, looking completely bewildered.
"I haven't even given you a quote yet! I can give you twenty percent off this time!"
But the chimera didn't dare listen to his nonsense.
It only wanted to get as far away as possible from this place that was scarier than hell!
"Crazy! That doctor is definitely a psychopath!"
"I want to go home! I'm never coming out again!"
"Go ahead if you want! I'm not getting treatment!"
The shrill screams faded further and further into the forest until they completely disappeared.
Victor stood at the door, still holding his customer-recruiting posture, the smile on his face frozen.
"This... what happened this time?"
He looked blankly at Elizabeth beside him.
"Do I... really look that scary?"
Elizabeth looked at his bloodstained lab coat, then at the eerie castle behind him, and the glowing human lamp at the entrance.
She remained silent for a moment.
Then, she nodded very honestly.
"Director."
"I think... you might need a mirror."
Rate on N.U.
