Unholy Player-Chapter 115: Shocking Discovery

Once he felt ready, and his calm, calculated demeanor had returned, Adyr crouched beside the corpse and began a closer examination.

The skin had an unnatural shade of gray. Not pale or diseased, but dull and metallic, with a rubbery texture that resisted even slight pressure. The mouth was wider than it should have been, pulled unnaturally at the corners. The teeth were sharp, uneven, and animal-like—built for tearing flesh, not chewing. These were one of the standard features in first-generation mutants.

But something else pressed at him. A tension rose beneath his thoughts, quiet and persistent. It wasn’t emotion. It was instinct. His [Sense] stat pushed at him, like a whisper behind the eyes.

He drew a throwing knife from his thigh holster. It was one of the blades Henry had sent—razor-sharp and well-balanced. Still, when he tried to cut the skin, it resisted. The edge grated against the surface before finally breaking through. Even with a high-grade blade, it took force.

He worked with care, slicing through the gray hide. Beneath the skin, the muscle was normal. Human. No signs of further mutation.

He moved to the skull and struck once with the blade. The bone cracked easily. Unlike the skin, it hadn’t been reinforced. The mutation was superficial.

Adyr narrowed his eyes. With careful hands, he opened the skull. The movement was clean and efficient. Inside, nestled deep in the brain tissue, was what he expected.

He removed it and held it in his palm.

A faint purple crystal, as small as a hazelnut, pulsed with dim energy.

What does this mean now? He thought, staring at it.

It was an energy crystal, exactly like the ones he had seen in the other world. But it shouldn’t exist here.

He recalled his past conversations with Victor and Henry. They had said the Cannibal kept getting stronger. Not like a typical mutant.

He had first assumed the Cannibal might be a player. But now another possibility had formed.

This corpse had clearly been altered by a Spark. One that reinforced skin, maybe enhanced resilience. It didn’t seem random. That raised a different question.

What if the Cannibal wasn’t a player at all?

What if he had been changed by a Spark?

Adyr had seen something similar before. The wolves. That incident returned to him now, clear and sharp. This felt the same.

Adyr focused on the energy crystal. It glowed with a faint purple light, small enough to sit on his fingertip—no larger than a hazelnut. A Rank 2 crystal.

At least if there’s a Spark nearby, it’s only Rank 2, he muttered with a quiet exhale.

As for a Rank 3... he could only guess what that kind of power would look like. And he doubted he was strong enough to handle one just yet.

He cleaned the crystal with a small water bottle and a fresh cloth, then sent it into the Dawn Land. After wiping his hands, he stood and scanned the area.

A faint smile rose to his lips. Now he had a clear mission. A real hunt.

He could harvest energy crystals. And maybe, if he was lucky, capture a Rank 2 Spark.

This had just become far more interesting.

—

"Where the hell did that moron run off to?"

The guard scanned the area with narrowed eyes, pacing through the dark with growing irritation. He had been assigned to patrol this sector with a partner, but the man had vanished several minutes ago. His silhouette—supposed to be visible at the edge of the rocks—was nowhere to be seen.

The idea that his partner was probably lying somewhere, taking a nap while he stood guard in the cold, watching for threats, was enough to make his blood simmer. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

"That bastard’s resting while I’m stuck on my feet guarding against God knows what? Not happening." He spat on the ground and kept walking, anger building with each step.

Then he heard something—a faint rustle, just beyond a large rock ahead. His eyes lit up. A smirk crept onto his face.

"So that’s where you’re hiding. Slacking off, huh?"

He marched forward with purpose, ready to drag his partner up by the collar and give him hell. As he rounded the rock, he opened his mouth.

"You damn straw-brained idiot, what the hell are you—"

The words caught in his throat.

His partner was lying on the ground, unmoving. The skull was split wide open. A jagged tear exposed raw, glistening brain matter.

He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe.

For a second, he just stared. The heat drained from his limbs. ’’Something’s wrong. Something’s very... ’’

His instinct screamed. He inhaled sharply, ready to shout. But his mouth was already full. A heavy stone shoved past his teeth, jamming deep into his throat.

"While you eat, I’ll take care of business. Relax. Loosen up." The voice came from behind, calm and amused.

A sharp pain sliced across the guard’s throat.

He felt the blood spill out in a hot rush. Panic surged, but his limbs wouldn’t respond. His arms were locked behind him, pinned in place with unyielding force. The attacker held him down like an animal ready for slaughter.

He struggled, but it was useless. He couldn’t cry out, couldn’t spit the rock out. The weight in his mouth blocked everything—his breath, his voice, even the final scream.

He was dying in a way he never could have imagined. Crude. Silent. Stripped of dignity.

"Do you think you deserved a better end?" Adyr’s voice was calm as ever.

He pressed the man’s head to the dirt with his boot, one hand still clamping his wrists behind his back.

Blood spilled freely into the dry soil. Adyr watched it soak in without a flicker of emotion.

Once the man’s blood had drained and his body began to cool, Adyr released his grip and moved to inspect the corpse. The skin was the same dull gray as before, and the facial mutations matched what he had already seen.

He drew his throwing knife and repeated the same procedure. As expected, a Level 2 energy crystal was embedded in the skull.

"I came here ready to burn some energy, but instead I’m farming it," Adyr muttered with a faint, satisfied chuckle.

He had only 17 units worth of energy crystals left. Now there were 19, and more were waiting to be claimed.

There must be twelve more guards outside.

He stood, scanned the area in silence, then stepped back into the darkness and vanished into the shadows.