His whole body felt like it was on fire, but he didn't feel any pain, only energy. He sensed he could do anything, His eyes glowed a deeper blue, and a joyful smile spread across his face. Taking a deep breath, he swiftly moved away from the monster, heading toward the pistol.
He was indeed moving much faster than before. The monster was chasing him from behind, using its tail like a whip. But unlike before, Azure could clearly see the strike's path, even without Eve's help. He dodged the tail and leapt to the ground, closing in on the pistol.
As soon as he grabbed it, he activated a transparent shield around himself to block the monster's claw, then deactivated it and aimed the pistol at the monster's mouth, firing three electric shots.
The monster flinched in pain but didn't stop, attacking again with its claw. Azure quickly tilted his head to dodge and immediately fired three more shots at the same spot inside the monster's mouth.
The monster stopped moving, collapsing on the floor, Azure panted heavily from exhaustion, though it all happened quickly, it drained him mentally.
[Unknown monster killed successfully]
[Your level increased by 1]
My level? Azure was confused, "Eve?"
[Eve is still adjusting the window. Eve apologizes for this.]
"Not seeing the window doesn't mean I didn't get the reward, right?" he asked to confirm.
[Yes, there is an increase in master's stats and power.]
He sighed in relief after hearing that, then deactivated the Enhance skill. His glowing eye returned to normal, and his body no longer felt the heat. He sat on the ground to catch his breath.
"We shouldn't stay here long. This can't be the only experiment," Vladimir said calmly.
Lycarius nodded in agreement.
"Let me catch my breath at least… Even though my body is healed, I still remember the pain I felt,"
Vladimir and Lycarius fell silent, understanding that what happened was tough for a 17-year-old.
Azure asked Eve to recharge the pistol. Even though it still had some energy, he wanted to make sure it was in perfect condition before facing any more danger.
He rested while waiting for the pistol to recharge. Five quiet minutes passed quickly. When he received Eve's message that the recharge was complete, Azure slowly stood up. He tucked the pistol into his coat pocket and walked out of the room.
He began scanning his surroundings, thinking about which path to take. Then he noticed a glowing figure looking at him—a woman-like form, pure white and featureless, like a ghost, calmly staring at him.
Azure felt the woman was looking directly at him. He stared at her intently.
"Is something wrong?" Vladimir noticed something off and asked.
"Isn't it strange, seeing a ghost like her?" Azure asked, his voice filled with confusion.
"What ghost?" Vladimir sounded puzzled.
"Can't you see her?" Azure asked, shocked.
"There's nothing ahead but rubble," Lycarius replied sharply.
Azure was stunned and didn't understand what was happening. The ghostly woman raised her hand with an ethereal grace, silently beckoning him to come closer.
"She wants me to come closer,"
Vladimir thought for a moment, then said, "Approach, but slowly, and stay on guard."
Azure nodded and moved toward her. The woman remained still until he was ten steps away, then vanished suddenly.
Azure was shocked by the sudden disappearance. He approached cautiously, reaching the spot where she had stood, finding no trace of her but but instead discovering a long passageway downward.
"She's gone," he said, looking around.
"What did she look like?" Vladimir asked.
Azure thought for a moment, "A woman's form, glowing white, with no distinct features or facial details."
Vladimir fell silent, lost in thought.
Lycarius remarked sarcastically, "Maybe she wants you to go down there."
Azure looked at the downward passage, unsure whether to descend. "What do you think, Eve?"
[Eve detected no living beings near master. Going down might be risky, but master needs to find a way out.]
Vladimir nodded in agreement, "She's right. We've got nothing to lose by exploring."
Azure took a deep breath and began descending. Without night vision, he wouldn't have seen a thing.
Upon reaching the bottom, he stepped into a vast corridor lined with four doors—and there she was again, the woman standing before him.
"She's here," Azure said quietly.
Lycarius snorted, "She's luring us somewhere."
She pointed to one of the doors on the right. Azure looked at the door and moved slowly toward it. The woman watched him calmly without further action.
The door opened automatically as Azure approached, revealing a faint light that illuminated the area where he stood.
It seems some areas are still operational. Azure was surprised that the building's system was still functioning despite the extensive damage.
He glanced back and saw the woman had vanished again. Sighing, he entered the room.
He found a half-destroyed lab before him, with a door on the left side. The room was lit by the dim glow of screens; the equipment inside was still working.
[Eve can hack the lab's mainframe if master wants.]
Azure was surprised, "Really? What do you want me to do?"
[Place your hand on one of the devices in the room.]
Azure approached a computer and placed his hand on it, "Like this?"
[Yes, please wait a moment, master.]
Azure said nothing and waited. After about a minute, Eve informed him she was done.
"So? What did you find?" Azure couldn't wait to know the information she retrieved.
Unusually, Eve paused for four seconds before responding.
[It's best if master sees for himself. Please open the door on the left side of the room.] Her voice was slightly cold, tinged with a hint of… anger and sadness.
Azure didn't understand and simply approached the door. But as he neared, he smelled a sharp, heavy metallic odor—it was the scent of blood.
The door opened slowly, releasing a wave of cold, dense air mixed with a nauseating stench of decay. Azure covered his nose with his hand and peered inside. His eyes widened in horror at the sight before him.