Chapter 5: Acquiring the Artifact, Activating the Enchantment

Like porcelain, the seductive ghost’s cheek shattered as the sharp end of a hammer pierced through, embedding itself into her facial bone. Ji Yan did not pause for a second; he wrenched the hammer free and began smashing it down on her face, strike after strike.

Blood quickly spread across the floor. The horrific sounds made the scene look like a crazed maniac brutally butchering an innocent young girl. Only after twenty full swings did he stop.

Drip.

The hammer dripped with warm blood. Ji Yan panted, enduring the pain and numbness in his right hand. He looked at the seductive ghost lying on the ground, his expression tense. His tension, however, was not out of concern for whether the ghost was dead. The tool in his hand was merely an ordinary prop. To a supernatural entity, it would not cause any actual, lasting harm. The hammer was marketed as a weapon, but in reality, it was just a toy for the ghost to "play" with her prey.

The shattered, blood-matted head began to emit scorching white smoke. The ghost slowly stood up, the horrific wounds on her face visibly repairing themselves. She looked at Ji Yan with an inscrutable gaze. "Is this your big treasure?"

Ji Yan nodded calmly. "Yes."

"How does it feel?"

The ghost gently wiped the blood from her face; like cracked porcelain, the fissures continued to leak white smoke. "I must say, it’s quite stimulating. I’m surprisingly fond of this feeling. But, it’s still far from enough."

No sooner had she spoken than the hammer swung into her face again, knocking her slender body over. Ji Yan quickly grabbed a chainsaw from the table and pressed it against her. As the chainsaw revved and fell, the terrifying mechanical roar, mixed with the sound of tearing flesh, created a hair-raising symphony.

He showed absolutely no mercy!

From the hidden information he had gathered outside the room, Ji Yan had already deduced the truth: this seductive ghost possessed a strong S&M inclination—specifically, the masochistic side. Pain made her abnormally excited, stimulating her spiritual pleasure. Even the ghost herself had not realized this. She frequently enjoyed tormenting and draining her prey, but over time, her mind had grown numb, and she became increasingly difficult to satisfy. No matter how perverted her methods were, they failed to appease her. Until now, that is—Ji Yan’s "reverse" operation, turning the hunter into the prey, had opened the door to a new world for her.

This maneuver was bold and involved a degree of gambling. But now, seeing her drenched in blood yet wearing a look of intoxicated blushing, Ji Yan knew he had won the bet.

Outside the room, Cheng Fang, who had been pacing anxiously and preparing himself for the possibility of having to fight, wore a look of utter confusion. He pressed his ear against the door. Listening to the horrific sound of the chainsaw and the ghost’s cries—which were filled with both danger and ecstasy—he assumed Ji Yan was the one being tortured. He broke into a cold sweat.

"Too brutal," he muttered. "I hope this brother doesn't encounter any seductive ghosts in his next dungeon. Rest in peace..." He even felt a pang of gratitude toward Ji Yan. If not for him, the one inside that room right now would likely be him. Listening to the ceaseless drone of the chainsaw, Cheng Fang turned to look for a larger container, assuming that Ji Yan would never be able to leave the room in one piece and would have to be carried out in scraps.

Inside the room, the carnage continued. Ji Yan swung the chainsaw with all his might, but within five minutes, the teeth shattered and the chain snapped. The chainsaw was completely destroyed. He frowned. "So fragile?"

Seeing the ghost’s flushed, heated, and still unsatisfied expression, Ji Yan did not dare to hesitate. He quickly reached for the scattered items around him, using anything he could find to serve her. As he grasped one particular object, an information panel suddenly popped up in his vision.

"Ding! Congratulations to the player for obtaining the hidden supernatural item: 'Satan’s Execution Tool.' Successfully triggered [Talent]."

"Grade: Rare."

"Description: A psychopathic serial killer who claimed to be Satan once used this to execute ten innocent women. The killer vanished without a trace, but this item, stained with the blood of sin, remained."

"Hidden Info: Landing 10 skull-crushing critical hits on a supernatural entity will fully activate the item, granting it the curse effect: [Soul Burning]."

Supernatural items were equipment used by players, ranging widely in function from damage and defense to survival and support. They were categorized into: Common, Rare, Treasured, Legendary, and Epic. Some high-level items were even more coveted than innate talents.

Ji Yan was stunned. This [F-rank talent] could even reveal hidden information about supernatural items? He looked at the tool in his hand. It was a nail hammer, but unlike the other props, it felt chillingly cold, enough to make one’s skin crawl. This was a murder weapon that had claimed ten lives! It was hard to imagine just how much resentment it carried.

Supernatural items were capable of dealing real damage to ghosts, and he worried that using it might accidentally kill her. But despite his concern, his hand did not falter. Just as the ghost was beginning to wake from her intoxication, he swung his arm with all his strength, smashing it into that vivid, bloody face.

This strike shattered half her skull. A massive, jagged wound erupted with thick, rolling white smoke, and the ghost let out a pained shriek. Ji Yan’s heart skipped a beat, but just as he thought she was about to fly into a murderous rage, the shrill scream shifted back into a high-pitched, ecstatic moan.

Ji Yan’s mouth twitched. It seemed he had underestimated her level of depravity; his worries had been entirely superfluous. Realizing the item wouldn't kill her and was, in fact, highly effective, he let go of all restraint and went to work, strike after strike. If ten skull-crushes could activate the enchanted attribute, there was no better candidate for the job than her. She was the perfect damage-testing dummy!

And so, after ten more minutes of bloody head-smashing, the floor and corners of the room were completely stained crimson. Ji Yan, covered in blood and brain matter, sat down against the wall in exhaustion. The nail hammer, now "tempered," glowed with a scarlet luster, having successfully activated its enchantment.

Ji Yan’s eyes lit up. Now that he held a true supernatural item, he finally had some leverage in this dungeon. At the very least, he was no longer a soft target.

As for the seductive ghost... she stood up once more. Ji Yan was numb. He had smashed her skull eleven times, and the final strike had triggered the [Soul Burning] effect. Terrifying black flames had burned away half her head; any other ghost would have been reduced to ashes long ago. Yet, this ghost had reached some sort of spiritual climax during the final enchanted critical hit, and she seemed profoundly satisfied.

Ji Yan began to wonder if this ghost was actually a boss-level entity. What kind of normal ghost would use a supernatural item to satisfy their own twisted needs?

Fortunately, after eleven consecutive skull-crushes, her frantic desire had faded. She stripped off her tattered clothes and changed into a new set. Her breathtaking face, now devoid of the flush of excitement, was covered in a layer of frost—a completely different person from the one a minute ago. She sat in a chair, crossed her elegant legs, lit a slim cigarette, and tossed a bag toward him.

"What is this?"

"A little extra tip. Your service was excellent. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this satisfied." The ghost exhaled a cloud of smoke, speaking in a measured, calm tone.

Ji Yan’s expression was strange. Why did he feel like he had just been working as a gigolo?