“Never thought there’d be a day where you got bullied by Susie,” Sini, Luca’s mom, laughed so hard she was practically rolling after hearing the whole story. She had no intention of coming to Luca’s rescue.
Donald and the others were equally surprised.
Luca had always been the one teasing Susie, but now that the tables had turned, it seemed pretty amusing.
Their classmates wore strange expressions. To call it bullying didn’t quite fit; “flirting” might be a better word.
You could tell just by looking at Nomadey’s deeply darkened face.
Thanks to Darabont and Zoey’s intervention, Luca narrowly escaped the tragic fate of picking dragon fruit seeds in the corner.
After confirming that Susie was fine and would be able to leave the hospital after just two days of rest.
They chatted for a little while longer before getting ready to leave.
Just before heading out, Luca suddenly thought of something and quietly asked Susie, “Have you been feeling anything… unusual lately?”
“Huh?” Susie looked at him, confused. Then her face flushed a little as she stammered, “That was in the game! How could there be any kind of feeling in real life…”
Luca couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “What are you even thinking? I meant your body, or like your strength—have you noticed if it’s increased?”
Susie thought for a moment, then replied earnestly, “There’s been a little change. I can open bottle caps now. I couldn’t do that before.”
Luca sighed and ended the ridiculous conversation.
If Susie had said she could twist off someone’s neck, that would’ve made more sense to him. But twisting bottle caps? What even was that?
According to his theory, the speed at which the game’s effects reflect in reality should be closely related to the player’s talents.
He originally wanted to test this with Susie.
After all, her “Summon Berserk” ability was the highest-level talent he knew of, aside from his own.
But now, it seemed like his guess was wrong.
Could it be that the game’s effects in reality had nothing to do with talent?
That didn’t make any sense…
Luca left the hospital, still puzzled.
The only other person he knew who had received some kind of feedback from the game was that girl named Malina.
If he wanted to figure things out, she might be the key.
However, he hadn’t gotten Malina’s contact info, and now it would probably be hard to find her.
Shaking his head, he decided to set the matter aside for now.
Once he left the hospital, Luca didn’t go home with Donald and Sini.
Instead, he chose to head downtown alone.
Sini was about to ask where he was going, but Donald stopped her.
He shook his head and said, “The kid’s growing up. Let him do what he wants.”
That comment left Sini frozen in place.
She suddenly realized that Luca was a grown man, capable of making millions from the game.
Luca was no longer the little boy who needed her to hold his hand while crossing the street, nor the teenager she had to constantly remind of everything.
Sini’s lips twitched slightly. She felt proud, but also a bit sad. With a sigh, she muttered, “He really has grown up…”
Not long after, Luca was sitting in a taxi, arriving at a car rental shop.
He dialed Ada’s number.
The call was picked up quickly, and Luca got straight to the point, “When are you guys arriving in Southwind City? I’ve got some gear to sell—everything from Silver to Gold Grade.”
Although the mutated monsters in Pure River Town didn’t drop any equipment, Curtis’ storage ring was packed with useful items.
He planned to sell the high-grade gear for in-game currency, while exchanging the lower-grade items for cash.
With “Eternal World” about to descend soon, he needed to be fully prepared.
Ada, surprised, asked, “You’ve already got new equipment?!”
Even professional gold farming guilds and clubs probably couldn’t match Luca’s speed in farming gear.
She couldn’t help but wonder how Luca managed to get so much equipment so quickly.
But Ada knew better than to ask—Luca wouldn’t reveal his secrets even if she did. She didn’t want to waste time on unnecessary questions.
“We’ll arrive in Southwind City tomorrow. Let’s meet up for the transaction then,” she said.
“Sounds good,” Luca agreed without hesitation.
The only official in-person trading platform for “Eternal Game” was owned by Zenith Technology Company.
Both the buyer and seller would have to pay a hefty transaction fee.
Since Ada’s team would arrive tomorrow, it made sense to avoid those extra costs.
After hanging up.
Luca had just flagged down another taxi to head back when something made him frown. He looked toward a building under construction in the distance.
His strong mental perception had picked up a faint trace of demonic energy.
There was a monster nearby!
Luca instantly recognized it.
The smell was all too familiar, something he could sense from kilometers away.
“Hey! Are you getting in or not? Don’t waste my time!” The taxi driver asked impatiently.
Luca, unfazed, tossed the driver a hundred-dollar bill without saying a word.
Walked off in the direction of the blood and demonic aura he sensed.
A monster appearing in such a crowded area could cause mass panic. It wouldn’t just be a matter of a couple of deaths.
This was the perfect opportunity for Luca to test how much power his low-level magic runes could unleash in the real world.
The taxi driver, seeing the money, immediately stopped complaining. He even stuck his head out of the window and enthusiastically waved at Luca’s retreating figure, “Hey, buddy! Call me next time you need a ride!”
Luca ignored him and continued to follow the trail of demonic energy. Before long, he arrived at an abandoned construction site.
By now, the sky had darkened, and the site was devoid of any light. In the distance, looming concrete high-rises stood like silent monoliths. The hollow floors appeared like gaping, layered mouths, ready to devour anyone who dared approach, casting an ominous and intimidating atmosphere.
Having pinpointed his target, Luca cautiously made his way toward a pitch-black building.
He carefully avoiding the various obstacles in his path. He wasn’t particularly worried about being detected—it was the debris, trash, and feces scattered all over the site, along with overgrown weeds, that posed the real danger. One wrong step could lead to a nasty fall or worse.
As he drew closer, the pungent stench of blood became overwhelming, accompanied by the sickening sound of bones snapping, echoing in the darkness and sending chills down his spine.
It was too dark to see clearly, so Luca quietly channeled his inner magic. A faint purple glow flickered across his pupils for an instant.
The previously dark construction site suddenly came into full view.
He turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.
Under a staircase, crammed into a corner, sat a mutilated woman, drenched in blood.
She was slumped against the gray cement wall, her face unrecognizable, her skin torn and covered in fresh wounds. The earth beneath her was soaked with blood, and her abdomen had been completely hollowed out, exposing pale, white ribs.
experience NovelFire,le,mp,yr content
A black-furred creature, its body covered in blood, had its head buried inside her abdomen, furiously pulling at something.
Luca could vaguely make out what it was—a long, glistening white intestine…
It seemed like he was in the right place.
Luca licked his lips, then picked up a rusty steel rod from the ground.
It was just over a meter long, and after weighing it in his hand, it felt like a perfect fit.
The black-furred creature’s ears twitched, seemingly alerted by the slight noise Luca had made. It paused its feasting.
Then whipped its head around, revealing a blood-soaked cat-like face.
Its three scarlet, slit-shaped pupils glared at Luca with an intense wariness.
There was no mistaking it—this was the infamous Charmed Cat Demon, the serial killer that Celephais had been hunting for days!
Luca could even spot two bullet wounds on its body.
Its flesh was torn and bloodied, clearly still fresh from its escape.
Luca recalled hearing Darabont mention a recent case while they were at the hospital—the heart theft incident from just two days ago.
During the investigation, six police officers had been attacked by an unknown creature. Three of them had been killed on the spot.
Of the remaining three, two were lightly injured, and one was severely wounded, losing both legs.
In the end, the cat demon had taken two bullets before managing to flee.
He had already suspected that this creature would eventually come out to hunt and heal its wounds, but he didn’t expect to run into it so soon.
“Bad luck for you, running into me,” Luca chuckled softly and strode toward the Charmed Cat Demon.
He paid no mind to the low, warning growl the creature emitted.
The Charmed Cat Demon seemed to sense something different about Luca, something unlike the humans it had encountered before.
Its maw opened wide, revealing sharp fangs as it let out an ear-splitting, raspy screech.
“Meow—!”
The sound rippled through the air like shockwaves, stirring up dust and trash from the ground.
When the dust settled, Luca’s figure had vanished from where he had been standing.
The Charmed Cat Demon froze, its three eyes darting around warily, scanning the surroundings in an attempt to locate the human it had just seen.
And then, in an instant, a shadow leaped from the darkness.
Luca moved with blinding speed, his wrist twisting as the sharp steel rod sliced through the air, aiming directly for the creature’s skull.
Sensing the danger, the Charmed Cat Demon let out a panicked yowl, its black fur standing on end as it jumped away just in time.
The steel rod stabbed into the concrete wall with a sharp thunk, as easily as if it had pierced through butter.
Landing on its feet, the Charmed Cat Demon’s eyes filled with rage.
It let out a furious growl, and in an instant, it became a dark blur, claws extended from its paws like deadly blades, aiming straight for Luca’s chest.
Luca remained calm, effortlessly sidestepping the attack with a graceful move.
Then, twisting his waist, he delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, striking the creature hard.
With a loud thud, the Charmed Cat Demon was sent flying like a soccer ball, crashing into a wall with a heavy impact that echoed through the hollow floors of the building.
“Meowww—!”
It screeched in agony, its recently healed bullet wounds tearing open, blood splattering across the wall.
As Luca slowly approached.
The Charmed Cat Demon trembled, backing away, eyes wide with fear.
It couldn’t understand—how could this human possess such immense power?
This man was nothing like the humans it had faced before. It was as if he belonged to an entirely different species.
Driven by primal instinct, the Charmed Cat Demon’s mind filled with thoughts of escape. It desperately searched for a way out.
It had worked so hard to come to this world, and it hadn’t even begun to savor its pleasures. How could it die here, like this?