Chapter 75 - 72: The Manager’s Power of 1 Finger

Chapter 75: Chapter 72: The Manager’s Power of 1 Finger

The Wildman was ferocious.

Aside from his strength, which indeed originated from Curse Arts, he barely resembled a human at all. His fighting style seemed driven by pure instinct—fierce, manic, and completely devoid of the fear of death.

His appearance was far from human. His exposed skin, a mottled mix of dark red and bruised purple, pulsed continuously. Even after being slashed again and again by the Butcher Ghost Object, what oozed from his wounds wasn’t blood, but pus.

The sight sent a chill down Profound Sword’s spine.

Retracting the Witchcraft Flying Eye, he used Phantom Step to leap rapidly across the flat rooftops, soon arriving at the battlefield where the Wildman and the Butcher were clashing.

"Should I step in?" he wondered.

Whenever humans encountered Ghost Objects, Profound Sword would inevitably lend a helping hand as long as it was within his capabilities. The situation before him was exactly that. He was perfectly capable of fighting and defeating the Butcher.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that if he intervened, he would likely be attacked by the Wildman as well. The Wildman was human, yet at the same time, it was hard to say if he still was.

"This is someone deeply corrupted by a Curse Object. It’s hard to tell if he’s still human or if he’s already degraded into a Ghost Object," he thought. "He looks like he’s completely lost his sanity."

Despite these thoughts, Profound Sword hesitated for a moment before finally making his move. Before doing so, however, he used his Member Card to activate a portal to the Safe Zone. Seeing the familiar Safe Zone shop materialize in the distance eased his mind considerably.

Then, he raised his blade and slashed forward.

Profound Sword ambushed from behind, piercing the Butcher Ghost Object that was already locked in a desperate struggle with the Wildman. Dozens of seconds later, under a torrential pincer attack from both sides, the Butcher Ghost Object’s entire body was severed and torn apart, leaving only chunks of minced meat scattered across the ground.

Some of the flesh chunks continued to squirm for a moment before finally losing all vitality. This signified that the Butcher Ghost Object had been truly slain.

Slain by the power of a human!

Under the influence of Rule Power, the Butcher’s Bloodstained Machete was enveloped in a faint, mysterious glow, transforming into a complete Curse Object. However, Profound Sword didn’t even glance at it; his eyes remained fixed on the Wildman nearby. He didn’t dare lower his guard, already prepared for a fight.

The Wildman’s crimson eyes glared back at him, shreds of flesh he had bitten off the Butcher still lingering at the corners of his mouth. Yet, the Wildman didn’t pounce. He stood frozen in place.

Emotions flashed continuously in his eyes: Bloodthirsty urges, internal struggle, and sheer madness. Gradually, his breathing stabilized. He didn’t speak, nor did he move, standing as still as a statue.

Profound Sword let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"But what should I do now?" he wondered. "This guy seems to still have a sliver of sanity left, but only a sliver."

***

"Bring him over."

Inside the shop, Shi An had observed the entire battle. He was even more certain than Profound Sword that the Wildman was still human. At the very least, his core identity remained human.

Because a prompt had appeared: "Do you wish to invite this Dream Descender into the Safe Zone?"

Profound Sword had used his Member Card to open a channel, allowing the Safe Zone to manifest in this Nightmare. But this didn’t mean that any Dream Descender in this Nightmare Area could simply step into the Safe Zone. Non-members still needed an invitation to enter. It was just that Shi An had granted Little Blood and Nether Robe the authority to send invitations, and in most cases, invitations were sent out by default.

The fact that this person could be invited proved that he was human. Although this fellow... even from an amateur’s perspective like Shi An’s, it was clear he didn’t have much time left before completely losing his humanity.

***

Profound Sword attempted to communicate with the Wildman in a soft, gentle voice. He had no idea if the other party could even understand him.

He received no response, but fortunately, when he began walking toward the Safe Zone, the burly figure followed behind him, step by step.

"Thank goodness he can still follow," Profound Sword thought. "It’s just..."

Having a manic man who looked like a Ghost Object trailing right behind him kept Profound Sword constantly on edge, terrified of a sudden ambush. This was far more mentally exhausting than facing the Butcher Ghost Object head-on.

Thankfully, the Safe Zone storefront wasn’t far from the battlefield. A two-minute walk brought them to their destination.

Profound Sword pushed the door open and turned to the burly man. "Let’s go. The Manager is waiting for you."

At that moment, two other Dream Descenders were resting inside the shop. When the burly man stepped inside, both Dream Descenders startled, thinking a Ghost Object had breached the Safe Zone! Hair Ghost mediated from the side, informing them that this person was actually human.

Even so, the two Dream Descenders shrank into the corner, trembling slightly.

Let alone them, even Hair Ghost wore a solemn expression. An ominous, eerie aura continuously radiated from the burly, Wildman-like figure. Hair Ghost could sense an intense danger emanating from the man, like a bomb ready to detonate at any moment.

Shi An was naturally aware of this as well. He didn’t approach, even though he now possessed considerable combat strength. He simply asked Hair Ghost to fetch a few cups of Purifying Water.

Purifying Water could cleanse all negative status effects! However, Shi An wasn’t entirely sure if it would work on this burly man.

"If I’m not mistaken, this guy is a Lost Person. Having been lost in the Nightmare for too long, repeatedly using Curse Objects and clashing with Ghost Objects, he inevitably suffered from corruption," Shi An mused. "As time passed, his corruption deepened until his entire body was almost fully transformed into a Ghost Object. Only a tiny spark of Will remains, preserving his last shred of clarity."

This situation was far more severe than what Profound Sword or Hair Ghost had experienced in the past. He had basically been marinated in corruption.

If several doses of Purifying Water couldn’t save him, Shi An would have no choice but to reluctantly give up on this Lost Person, who was clearly a powerhouse.

***

The burly man seemed incapable of understanding specific words anymore, so Hair Ghost had no choice but to approach cautiously, holding a cup of Purifying Water.

But perhaps influenced by self-preservation instincts, the burly man’s Spirit grew unstable as Hair Ghost drew near. His aura showed signs of tipping into sheer madness. If Hair Ghost continued to advance, it might trigger the man, snapping the final threads of his sanity completely.

What should they do? Hair Ghost felt like this was an unsolvable dilemma. Who could force a mindless powerhouse—someone as strong as a Ghost Object—to take their medicine?

But Manager Shi simply tapped his knuckles against the desk.

"Subdue him.

"Fa, feed him the medicine."

Before Hair Ghost could comprehend who the Manager was addressing with his first command, he watched as the mascot on the counter—no, his senior—came to life.

The Blood-Colored Clay Sculpture extended its chubby little hand and made a grasping motion in the empty air. A majestic surge of Blood Mist erupted, condensing into a massive, blood-red hand.

The giant, blood-red hand materialized directly around the burly man, instantly seizing the two-meter-tall figure in its grip.

In an instant, the burly man’s expression twisted into absolute frenzy as the final string of his rationality snapped. He unleashed a beast-like roar, his manic and eerie aura rolling outward in waves.

The giant, blood-red hand merely trembled slightly before clamping down even harder the very next second. It firmly pinned down the brawny man, who was as powerful and deranged as a Ghost Object, denying him even the slightest chance to struggle.

"So strong!" Profound Sword marveled.

He wasn’t just amazed by the suppressive power of the Blood-Colored Clay Sculpture; he also noticed that the Manager hadn’t even personally intervened.

The amount of power a Yugui Stream Ghost Object could exert depended entirely on the Dream Descender’s own control. Yet right now, the Manager had simply tapped the desk. Without erupting with any Curse Power, without even raising his hand, the Blood-Colored Clay Sculpture had executed an absolute crush.

It was like crushing a giant with a single finger.

What incredible power!

What... effortless mastery!

This was the Manager!