The door slowly opened. Light seeped in through the gaps, and the shadow of a burly man stepped in without controlling his footsteps.
He walked straight toward where Ryan slept. Ryan appeared to be in a deep sleep, unaware of the shadow currently approaching him with heavy footsteps.
After taking a few more steps, the shadow finally came to a halt in front of the sleeping Ryan. The moonlight casting through the window glass illuminated the room with a faint glow.
The light shone on the shadow to reveal his appearance. His face was covered by a mask stained with blood, with holes for the eyes. He wore simple attire commonly seen in Biuosis Town. In his hand, he held a long blade, its size about the length of two sheets of paper.
Blood appeared all over the blade, with flesh still lingering on its sharp edge. It was as if he had just killed someone, leaving the blade dripping with fresh blood and flesh.
Strangely enough, despite the heavy footsteps and the sound of blood dripping onto the ground from the blade, Ryan still did not awaken.
The burly man raised his blade high up. Without any hesitation, he slashed his blade down toward Ryan neck, who was in a deep sleep.
Just as the blade was about to hit his neck, Ryan suddenly opened his eyes. Without a second thought, he immediately rolled to the side to evade the strike.
The blade missed its target and struck the carpet with a resounding bang. The carpet broke to pieces, revealing the cement inside along with the construction metal.
The burly man pulled back his blade and rushed toward Ryan with killing intent.
Ryan's face was filled with bewilderment as he tried to comprehend the situation.
The burly man didn't give Ryan time to breathe, slashing at him without holding back. The room was small, giving the armed burly man a distinct advantage. Tables, books, and various furnishings were slashed and scattered everywhere.
The entire time, Ryan just kept dodging, unable to counterattack because the room was so small and the environment was dark, blocking his line of sight.
Strange. Why does he always hit toward me so accurately? It's like he can see me even in total darkness.
The room was dark, making it hard to see the surroundings clearly, yet the burly man always slashed his blade directly toward Ryan, aiming for fatal points. It was as if he possessed night vision.
Facing an enemy who could see in the dark was far more difficult than fighting the hunter in a lit environment.
Ryan's face filled with resentment. His mouth seemed to utter a strange language. The moment this language came out of his mouth, the burly man's movements came to a sudden halt. Taking this opportunity, Ryan kicked the burly man to the side and ran out of the room.
I can't fight him in my room, otherwise I'll lose and be dead meat. Swiftly, he exited the room and appeared in the long corridor.
The corridor was brightly lit, making it easy to pinpoint the attacker.
Before long, the burly man followed Ryan into the corridor. His blade no longer had flesh and blood on it, as the constant slashing had shaken it all off.
Who is this guy? Why is he trying to kill me? Ryan's mind raced like lightning as he tried to grasp the situation.
Suddenly, words popped into his mind like thunder. Murder! Serial murder!
Ryan's face twisted slightly. The burly man rushed at Ryan the moment he spotted him, moving at a speed that surpassed a normal human's full sprint.
Since you are a serial murderer, i won't hold back anymore!
This time, Ryan didn't dodge the attack. He stood completely still on the spot and didn't even attempt to block. Just as the blade was about to pierce through his body, Ryan body suddenly disappeared.
The blade missed its target once again. The burly man froze for a few seconds before scanning his surroundings, searching for the missing Ryan.
The corridor sank into an eerie silence, with only the buzzing sound of the wall lamps remaining. The burly man held his blade tightly, and with a swift motion, he slashed toward the doorway of Ryan's room.
"Not bad," Ryan's image appeared at the door, the blade missing his neck by an inch.
Blood began to appear on the burly man's neck. There was a mark around his throat, so tiny that it couldn't be seen from afar. Only a close inspection would reveal the fine cut clearly.
Blood started to seep out from the cut as the burly man collapsed to the ground.
Ryan exhaled. "It would be good if you just obeyed and stayed home instead of going outside."
This was a saying parents told their children, that staying at home was safer than going outside.
"Look, if you just slept at your home, you probably would have had a good dream," Ryan smirked.
He observed the burly man's body for a few seconds before dragging the corpse into his room.
It was safer than leaving it outside, just in case someone saw it. Otherwise, the situation would become even worst.
Inside the room, a strong smell of blood filled the air. Ryan pinched his nostrils with a frown.
"Sigh, you might as well not have come to my room. You know it's damn hard to clean up, and with this strong smell of blood, it will still linger even if I clean it." Ryan cursed inwardly.
After searching the burly man's body, there was nothing much on him besides a pocket with 1 qinc inside.
"Damn, so poor. If you're this poor, just don't be a murderer."
Noticing the mask was still on the murderer's face, Ryan immediately pulled it off. What greeted his eyes made him freeze on the spot.
Behind the mask was the young man Ryan had met at the Love Bar, the young man who had nearly been thrown out of the bar by the hunter and was later saved by Ryan.
Finz Verlond!
What... How is this possible? Ryan felt as though his intelligence was being tested by the situation. The young man he met at the bar was just an ordinary-looking man who claimed to have seen the serial murderer with his own eyes. Not only that, he had told others about this information, too. Now he himself was the murderer, the serial murderer.
Strange. Finz's physique was just ordinary and skinny, yet now he has a muscular build. Even if he worked out, he shouldn't have such a strong physique overnight, unless he is... Ryan was about to finish his thought when the entire room suddenly sank into darkness.
The room turned into a strange place. Darkness enveloped the area, transforming it into an empty void.
Ryan found himself in a strange domain that resembled a void. Swiftly, he looked down at the burly man's corpse. The body was still there, lying motionless on the exact same spot.
He scanned his surroundings but found nothing other than deep darkness. Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a figure that appeared out of nowhere.
The figure wore a half top hat, a black trench coat, and dark trousers. His face was deathly pale, as if he hadn't slept for a full week. His sharp eyebrows, sunken eyes, slightly bridged nose, and thin lips made him look cold and unapproachable.
He approached Ryan with a measured pace. His calm demeanor somehow sent a chill running down Ryan's spine.
Ryan closed his eyes, appearing to be in deep thought as if trying to calm his nerves. When he opened his eyes again, Ryan's aura seemed to undergo a significant change. For some reason, he seemed like another person entirely.
A wide smile flashed across his face. "Hello, mister. May I ask who you are?"
With a flash, the mysterious figure was already standing directly in front of Ryan.
Ryan wasn't shocked by the man's lightning-like speed. Instead, he grinned.
"Isn't that a bit dramatic given that we've just met each other?"
The mysterious figure stood in front of Ryan, his face devoid of any emotion, holding only cold and seriousness.
A brass revolver was already pointed at Ryan's chest at some point in time. The mysterious figure raised his eyebrow. "Oh, it seems like you aren't an ordinary person."
Bang! The mysterious figure pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into Ryan's chest. Given the distance between them, it was impossible to dodge.
The bullet pierced straight through Ryan's heart and flew into the void behind him.
A huge hole appeared in Ryan's body, large enough to see right through to the other side.
With a thud, Ryan's body collapsed to the ground beside Finz's corpse. Blood started to flow out like a water.
The mysterious figure cast his gaze down at Ryan's body. Upon closer inspection, he frowned slightly.
"Do you take me for a fool? With how calm you remained despite facing such a situation, it can only mean you are an extraordinary person."
The situation the mysterious figure referred to was nothing other than the supernatural events taking place.
The voice of the mysterious figure echoed throughout the entire void, but what greeted him back was silence. The void was dead silent, as if darkness was the only thing responding.
"Don't waste my time, otherwise this place will be your grave," the mysterious figure said to the air, a hint of seriousness entering his tone.
Noticing there was still no reaction, he took out the same brass revolver that had shot Ryan earlier. But this time, he removed the standard bullets from the cylinder and replaced them with a new one. This bullet was golden in color and emitted a strange holy aura. With that, he slowly raised the revolver and aimed at Ryan's head.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a playful chuckle resonated. "Hey, at least try to play along."
The voice came out of Finz's corpse. Swiftly, the corpse turned its head, and what was revealed was not Finz's face, but Ryan's face instead.
Not only that, but the entire appearance of Finz transformed into Ryan. In a swift motion, Ryan stood up.
As for the body of Ryan that was shot by the mysterious figure earlier, it turned back into Finz's corpse. The whole process happened at lightning speed. There was no visible switching of bodies, but rather something like an illusion.
"You haven't thanked me for killing the serial murderer that caused havoc in the town, yet you are also trying to kill me. What is the meaning of this?" Ryan asked with disappointment.
"Are you seeking a reward for killing this minion?" the mysterious figure mocked.
"Minion?" Ryan was taken aback by the mysterious figure's response.
The mysterious figure didn't reply. Instead, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
Immediately, the deep dark void shattered like brittle glass, turning ethereal and transparent as thin streams of moonlight pierced through the fading gloom, revealing the hotel room once again with its heavy, metallic odor of blood.
Ryan and the mysterious figure returned to the real world, appearing back inside Ryan's room. Finz's corpse still lay motionless on the ground.
But what concerned Ryan the most was that there was an extra person inside his room.