His gaze flickered.
He had begun to suspect that Bloodsaw's little apprentice might already have been modified into some kind of stitched monster.A normal human could never remain this calm when facing him.
"I don't want yours," he said in a low, hoarse voice."I want my own eye back."
[Ding! Threat level reduced to 45%]
Lynn remained expressionless.Casually, he pressed his own eyeball back into its socket, then quietly sat down again.
He slipped a hand into his coat.
"That happens to be something I have."
Under the pig-headed demon's stunned gaze, Lynn pulled out a massive eyeball, still sticky with blood and flesh.It twitched slightly, the pupil rolling.
Crash—
The pig demon jumped to his feet, trembling.
"Th—this…!"
There was no mistaking it.
At a single glance, he recognized it—It was the very eye that old hag had torn from his face.
But why… why was his eyeball in the hands of this human apprentice?!
Lynn placed the eyeball gently on the counter and said calmly,
"I met that kind old lady this morning.She gave it to me as a toy."
[Pig Demon SAN -30]
The pig demon stared at the eyeball on the counter, cold sweat trickling down through the bristles on the back of his neck and soaking his spine.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying that scavenger was.
With his strength, he'd been helpless as she plucked out his eye like trash—And if she'd wanted to, she could've crushed his head just as easily.
And yet…She had given his eyeball to this frail human?!
This apprentice wasn't ordinary.
No—He was terrifying.
Because the pig demon couldn't see through him at all.
[Ding! Threat level reduced to 20%]
He hesitated, staring at Lynn.
"Something that old hag gave you… and you dare sell it to me?"
Lynn replied flatly,
"Not giving. Selling.Two hundred skull coins. Market price."
Was he really not afraid at all?
The pig demon searched Lynn's face for any hint of weakness.
Could it be…That he had some close relationship with the scavenger?
[Ding! Threat level reduced to 10%]
Clatter—
The pig demon pulled out a money pouch and dumped a pile of skull coins onto the counter.
"Fine," he growled."I'll buy it."
Lynn calmly swept the coins into the register, put his gloves and mask back on, and picked up the eyeball with forceps.
"Deal.Do you want the procedure done here, or at the operating table?"
"Here," the pig demon answered without hesitation.
No one in Ghost Alley ever wanted to get anywhere near Bloodsaw's operating table.
"Very well."
Lynn picked up the bone-cleaving knife and said calmly,
"Lean against the counter. Rest your head on the table.If it hurts, you may scream."
"Hah!" the pig demon sneered."You think I'm afraid of pain?"
Pff—
Lynn took a mouthful of alcohol and sprayed it onto the bloodstained blade.
The pig demon immediately shut up.
After lighting a candle and roasting the blade over the flame for several minutes,Lynn narrowed his eyes and slowly moved the knife toward the pig demon's head.
A drop of cold sweat splashed onto the counter.
"Installing an eyeball needs a knife?!" the pig demon trembled.
[Pig Demon SAN -10]
Lynn replied calmly,
"I examined your socket earlier.There are calcifications and coagulated blood inside, which suggests poor eye hygiene.This step is complimentary. No need to thank me."
"W—wait!!"
The pig demon panicked.
Too late.
Crunch—Scrape—Crunch—
The sound of stirring flesh and blade grinding against bone echoed repeatedly.
"AAAAAAHHH—!!!"
…
[Blade Technique EXP +1][Blade Technique EXP +1][Blade Technique EXP +1]
A few minutes later, Lynn finished cleaning the socket with disinfectant, mildly puzzled as to why blade technique increased instead of surgical skill.
"All done," he said calmly, wiping the knife clean.
"Don't move. Next comes eye installation.If you move, I might install it backward."
The pig demon slumped there, white foam bubbling from his mouth, body twitching violently—clearly not hearing a word.
Lynn froze.
"…Damn."
[Forgot anesthesia…]
Come to think of it, he'd forgotten last time too.
Oh well.
Lynn shook his head and regained his composure.
Using forceps, he lifted the Pigman Shopkeeper's Eyeball from the solution and scanned the shelves behind him.
A few seconds later, he took down a white bottle, faintly labeled with handwritten numbers: "5", "0", "2".
"What is that?!" the pig demon croaked.
Lynn shook the bottle slightly and explained seriously,
"My custom-made high-strength adhesive.It prevents eyeball detachment. Combined with my teacher's recovery potion, it ensures a 95% success rate."
The pig demon trembled.
"Hurry up!! Do you hear me?! I don't want to stay here another second!!"
Lynn nodded.
"Rest assured. Doctors have strong professional ethics."
He carefully mixed the viscous solution, applied it evenly around the eyeball, aligned it, and gently placed it into the socket.
Then he adjusted the angle using specialized tools.
He reached into the toolbox.
And pulled out a hammer.
Pig Demon: "(wДw)!!!"
[Pig Demon SAN -20]
"What are you doing?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Don't move," Lynn said sternly."This is the final physical step.If the position is ruined, I'll have to remove it and reinstall—at extra cost."
He pressed the terrified pig head down and carefully tapped the support brace with the hammer, slowly seating the eyeball into place.
After a few minutes—
Lynn paused.
The pig demon shuddered violently.
"What?! What is it?!"
Lynn frowned.
"It's installed backward."
Pig Demon: "(wДw)!!!"
"Don't worry," Lynn said calmly, gripping the support frame and yanking upward.
Rip—
Amid the pig demon's shrill screams and plummeting SAN, Lynn forcibly pulled the inverted eyeball back out.
"Just a minor medical accident," Lynn said quietly, readjusting it."No charge for this. I'll fix it."
"I'M DONE!! I'M NOT DOING THIS HERE ANYMORE!!"
[SAN -20][SAN -20]
"DON'T MOVE!"
Lynn's eyes sharpened as he shouted,
"This is the final step!As a doctor, once you've paid, I am responsible for you!I must ensure every patient leaves my clinic whole!"
With that, Lynn raised the hammer high—
"STOP!!" the pig demon screamed, reaching out desperately.
BANG—
Sparks flew.
…