Lynn's tone remained flat: "Small business—no flesh payment. Don't worry, I only want your right eye. You can come redeem it when you earn enough coins later."
The girl's face crumpled into a sobbing mess o(╥﹏╥)o: "O-Okay… sniffle… waaaah!"
...
A few minutes later.
[Ding! You obtained a Rare Item: Blood Doll's Right Eye ×1.]
[Blood Doll's Right Eye: Increases Hunger by 10 when equipped. Skill Unlocked: Invincible Stomach.]
[Ding! Quest completed. Rewards obtained: 50 Skull Coins, 50 Surgery XP, Special Reward: +30 Blood Doll Fear, +50 Blood Doll's Doll Fear.]
Lynn calmly washed the blood off his hands, dropped the eyeball into a vial of special reagent, and labeled it neatly. He turned to the girl, who was clutching one eye and sniveling o(x﹏╥)o, and said politely with a bow: "Thank you for your patronage. Bloodsaw Apothecary is at your service."
The girl hugged her doll tightly and stumbled out, her whimpers fading into the distance: "I need to find Mommy quickly… I'll never come back again… waaaah… what a scam shop…"
[Ding! Hidden Quest Triggered: Blood Doll Looks for Mommy. Help the Blood Doll find her mother. Reward: +200 Blood Doll Affinity, +100 Blood Doll's Doll Affinity, 1 Special Reward.]
[Current Quest Progress: 2%]
Lynn froze. Glancing outside, the girl's figure had already vanished into the darkness. "2% progress?" His gaze drifted to the plate on the counter—holding the odd organs he'd fished out of the girl's stomach earlier.
[50x Unknown Woman's Hair]
[2x Unknown Woman's Ears]
[1x Unknown Woman's Comb]
Lynn: "..."
He couldn't help but form a terrifying guess. Standing up, he cleaned the organs, sealed them in vials, and resolved to mention it to the girl when she returned. He pulled up his system panel—thanks to the rewards, he'd gained 50 Surgery XP and an extra 50 Skull Coins of his own. The customer's payment belonged to the shop, so he couldn't touch it; his personal savings now totaled 150 Skull Coins.
Skull Coins were the basic currency of this world, usable as a general equivalent, but Lynn hadn't stepped foot outside the apothecary in two years—he'd never had a chance to spend them. Still, more money was never a bad thing.
Time passed quickly. Lynn closed his eyes, boning knife in hand, motionless as a statue. The Soul Lamp at the door symbolized a rule: a warning to the wraiths in the dark that this place was claimed, and malice would incur consequences. Most specters and monsters dared not invade while the lamp burned—under its protection, the owner could use it to suppress intruding spirits at will. That said, there were always reckless, utterly evil entities who ignored all rules.
Knock, knock, knock—
Another knock echoed at the door.
"Welcome," Lynn said, opening his eyes.
Instantly, he saw a burly pig-headed humanoid standing at the entrance—one eye was a bleeding, empty socket, a bloodstained apron hung from its waist, and it gripped a butchering knife that looked freshly used. A system panel popped up before him.
[Pig-Headed Fiend]
[Level: 21]
[Race: Mutant Abomination]
[Alignment: Lawful Evil]
[Combat Ability: If you're willing to be eaten…]
[Description: Owner of the butcher shop on Wraith Alley. Your "friendly" neighbor, happy to share his fresh kills—or share you with others…]
[Lynn's Sanity: -5]
"Damn that crusty old witch!" The Pig-Headed Fiend snarled, clamping a meaty paw over its empty socket. "Yanked my eye out just 'cause I had no useless junk for her! Next time I catch that hag, I'll grind her bones to feed the dogs—bah!" It spat a glob of putrid saliva onto the floor, growling out more foul curses under its breath.
[Ding! Pig-Headed Fiend's Quest: Find a suitable eyeball for it. Reward: 50 Skull Coins, 50 Surgery XP, +20 Pig-Headed Fiend Affinity, 1 Special Reward.]
"Please come in," Lynn said calmly, sitting behind the counter and gripping the boning knife tightly beneath it, his expression unchanged.
The Pig-Headed Fiend strode inside, making the Soul Lamp flicker violently. A stench of rot and fresh blood washed over Lynn, stirring a wave of nausea. It plopped down on a stool, its single sharp pig eye scanning Lynn and the shop.
"Where's Bloodsaw? Fetch him out here! I need a new eye—and I'll trade him some top-shelf meat for it!"
Lynn maintained his composure: "My master's gone out. You can tell me what you need."
The Pig-Headed Fiend paused, then turned its gaze to Lynn, narrowing its eye as if sizing up a piece of meat. "Oh?"
[Ding! Danger Level Increased to 89%]
Lynn's heart raced, but his face stayed impassive. He'd made the right call—lying about his master being in the backyard would only provoke an attack if the fiend sensed deception. Honesty, on the other hand, planted a seed of caution.
"What type of eyeball do you need?" Lynn turned and gestured calmly to the vials of eyeballs on the shelf. "We have human, pig, wraith, bat, and Blood Doll eyes. Choose whichever you like—prices vary."
A menacing glint flashed in the Pig-Headed Fiend's single eye, its rows of sharp fangs glinting. Its putrid breath—thick with the stench of raw meat—washed over the counter. "Yer eye's lookin' mighty fine," it slobbered, licking its chapped lips with a slimy, pink tongue.
[Lynn's Sanity: -10]
[Ding! Danger Level Increased to 91%]
Lynn knew—showing even a hint of fear would make the fiend strike without hesitation.
"Mine?" He turned to face it, his expression cold and steady.
Under the Pig-Headed Fiend's ferocious gaze, Lynn slowly raised three fingers, plunged them into his own right eye socket, and began to pry out his eyeball, inch by inch.
Screech—Screech—
[Ding! Host Sustained Damage!]
[Ding! Host Organ Lost!]
Seconds later, Lynn held his steaming eyeball in his palm. His empty socket dripped with fresh blood, steaming faintly in the cold air—but his expression remained unchanged.
[Pig-Headed Fiend's Sanity: -20!]
"200 Skull Coins a piece. No returns if it doesn't fit," Lynn said flatly.
The Pig-Headed Fiend froze in shock. It had never expected this frail-looking human to be so ruthless—prying out his own eyeball right in front of it. When the scavenger had taken its eye, it had screamed in agony for minutes. Yet Lynn remained calm as a stone.
[Ding! Danger Level Decreased to 50%]