Chapter Twenty-Nine: Breaking the Deadlock

“Hoo…”

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed before Ferrin finally set down his scalpel, his face glowing with satisfaction. Before him, the infant monster had been completely dismantled: its abdomen was split open, skin flayed, muscle tissue overturned and exposed, skull cracked, eyes gouged out—the creature was dead beyond any hope of revival. Yet, from the contorted expression and the hands reaching forward, it was clear how much agony the poor beast had suffered before its demise.

That furious visage—was it condemning its murderer, or protesting the cruel, cold world?

Ferrin clearly cared nothing for such questions. In stark contrast to the pitiful state of the infant monster, his own expression radiated fulfillment, as if he were a gourmet savoring the lingering taste of a rare delicacy, relishing the tender, juicy flavor.

But compared to him, Aluca, standing behind Ferrin, was deathly pale and on the verge of collapse. Witnessing the entire live dissection, she was nearly driven to madness by the overwhelming horror. She clutched her rifle like a walking stick to keep herself upright, while her other hand pressed against her lower abdomen. Unfortunately, she had exhausted her ability to vomit minutes ago, and now she was so weak that anything could knock her down. Not that it mattered to Aluca; her ashen face looked as if she were about to die.

Indeed, Aluca felt she was dying.

Born in the wilds, Aluca was no stranger to brutality. The wasteland was rife with depraved bandits who took pleasure in torturing their prey to death, skinning and dismembering them, some even drinking blood and eating flesh. She had seen bodies hanging, people butchered alive, victims impaled and roasted. She believed she had witnessed enough horrors.

But the scene before her instilled a terror unlike anything she had ever known.

Throughout the dissection, Ferrin was elated and enthusiastic, but Aluca perceived a fundamental difference between his excitement and that of the bandits. Those bandits derived pleasure from their victims’ reactions—their screams, pleas, rage, and curses all fueled their sick delight.

Ferrin, however, was different. His happiness was not born from sadistic pleasure, but from the process of achieving his goal. To him, the infant monster was not a living creature, merely a specimen for experimentation. Its cries and screams meant nothing to Ferrin; it was as natural and unremarkable as breathing, not something to warrant his attention.

Though Ferrin wore a smile throughout, appearing jovial, Aluca could sense the underlying indifference hidden beneath it.

What kind of person was their commander?

In this moment, even Aluca could not answer that question.

Ferrin, unconcerned about Aluca’s thoughts, stood and straightened his clothes. Oddly, despite the rivers of blood before him, not a single stain marred his attire. Even his hands remained smooth and spotless, with no trace of filth.

How he accomplished this was a secret known only to the genius himself.

“Commander, what should we do next?”

Seeing Ferrin rise, Aluca cautiously voiced her question. Ferrin waved a hand softly, then lifted his gaze to the ceiling.

“Delin, what’s the situation?”

(We have arrived at the designated location, Master.)

“Excellent.”

Satisfied with Delin’s response, Ferrin nodded, gripped his scalpel, and suddenly leapt upward. The blade swept across the ceiling in a flash; with a metallic clatter, a round slab of concrete fell, leaving a gaping hole before them.

“Oh—!”

At the same time, Aluca thought she heard a faint scream, and the space trembled violently.

An earthquake?

As Aluca pondered this, she noticed the once dim room had grown slightly brighter—a subtle, but real difference. Moreover, the mysterious, oppressive atmosphere that had haunted them since entering the building seemed to ebb away like a receding tide, lifting the weight from Aluca’s spirit.

What had just happened?

“Sis!!”

As Aluca turned in amazement, scanning her surroundings, Krona’s voice suddenly called from above. Looking up, she saw Chris, Krona, and Delin peering curiously through the circular opening in the ceiling.

“Krona!!”

The three sisters, reunited at last, were overcome with joy. Aluca clung to Krona, laughing and crying at once. After facing the terrifying green giant and enduring Ferrin's "research," her nerves were frayed to the breaking point, and she desperately needed her sisters to comfort her wounded soul—otherwise, she feared she would lose her mind.

Compared to Ferrin and Aluca, Delin and the others were not much better off. The fifth floor, though spared from elite energy-draining monsters, was still fraught with trouble. Over ten energy-siphoning creatures occupied the floor, moving in groups and acting with cunning. Delin was powerful, but Krona, the weakest link, slowed them down. Their progress was even slightly behind Ferrin’s. Fortunately, while the mysterious force blocked external communication, it could not sever the link between Ferrin and Delin. With Delin’s help, Ferrin found a way to solve the immediate problem.

Luck was on their side—he had succeeded.

Only one chance remained.

Ferrin glanced at the scalpel in his hand, brow furrowing slightly. The Blade of Ruin could ignore all special effects to inflict damage on targets; this ultimate skill, unlocked at level four of Cutting, was indeed powerful. But its duration was only five seconds and could be used three times per day. He had used it once to slay the green giant, once to break the spatial barrier, and now only one use remained… What should he do next?

Delin’s sensing revealed the entire building was still enveloped in the mysterious force, preventing contact with the Emperor and others outside. But internally, their own communications had resumed; at least on the fourth and fifth floors, they were free of the force’s blockade. If they left, however, they might be shifted to other floors by their unseen adversary.

If they repeated the same tactic, who knew what would happen? Though Ferrin assured Aluca these monsters were not particularly formidable, any creature capable of manipulating space was hard to handle. He naturally hoped to save his last skill use for confronting the boss.

But if the boss could not be found, wandering endlessly in this chaotic maze was enough to drive anyone mad. Judging from the enemy’s previous actions, if Ferrin’s group pressed on, the monster would continue its game. The second, third, and sixth floors remained unexplored; who knew what horrors awaited there, perhaps monsters as powerful as the green giant? Acting rashly was clearly unwise.

So…

Ferrin had already made up his mind.