16 The Haunted House (3)

Leon's head whirled; everything he saw and heard felt surreal. He opened his eyes and was greeted by his psyche once again.

[Your Qi was restored by 100%]

Just as it suggested, he felt completely energized and saw the baby glance over at him curiously. He was glad that it didn't slap the shit out of him this time.

[Congratulations! You've defeated a veil walker!]

'It's not like I ripped him in half; it was just luck, I guess,' he felt ironic thinking that.

[Congratulations, You leveled up! You're now a Level 2 slave.]

'Huh?'

[Your Psyche activated the Last Reserve.]

[Your wounds have now been healed.]

He sat up straight and looked down at his abdomen; his suit was ripped horizontally, and his skin beneath it had a scar that looked like it was a years-old wound.

Beside him was the moon dagger, now transformed into a double-edged sword. The sapphire stones adorning the handle had spread out, and he was thankful for its presence as it had saved his head.

'Damn luck,' he thought, shaking his head as he held the moon sword.

He turned toward the baby, who held the fur ball of what the scar had become, and asked, "Damn, did you look at that?!"

His grin immediately turned sour as he remembered the baby was quick to turn its back on him.

"YOU!! You lit-" he held himself back, reminding himself of the need to keep his Qi intact.

"Don't be so mad, young man! I told you. I couldn't survive that blow you had. My psyche told me to hide behind the bush!" the baby retorted.

Leon shook his head; he couldn't argue over that point. He looked around—right, he was still in the haunted house. He hadn't even entered the house yet, and he was already torn apart.

"Alright, What the fuck happened with that dude?" Leon asked impatiently.

"Here," the baby showed him the black furball that glowed red occasionally. "It's a soul object."

Leon looked at it carefully without reaching out to take it. The once-scary creature was now a mere furball.

"Don't be scared! Now, it's harmless but pretty useful!" the baby exclaimed.

'Scared? This little shit,' Leon felt annoyed to the core. The first thing he'll do once he leaves this place is find a way to get rid of this little wanker.

"Oh yeah, 'useful' you say? I don't want it," Leon said bluntly.

"You're a generous young man! I will no longer need to go to the outskirts to get the dream leaf. I will weave a more powerful suit with this one!" the baby said triumphantly.

"Wait, what?"

"Yes! At least the need for you to be with me is gone! We just have to survive this place!"

"No, wait, does that mean you'll no longer need me as your slave?"

"Quite," the baby grinned.

"Then freaking release me! You know how powerless I am as a slave?" Leon broke down, his mind filled with the pathetic state he was in earlier, along with the way Scar humiliated him—his dreams, everything, came crashing down on him at once.

"Well, it's simple. Just give me something you own, like I did," the baby said calmly.

Leon thought for a while. He had nothing that he owned. The suit and the compass were things the baby had lent him, and now Scar's furball was also in the baby's possession.

Leon glared at the baby, saying, "You know I don't have anything."

"I'm sorry about this, Leon. I really am. I will release you when you acquire something by completing this quest," the baby's high-pitched voice was etched with sympathy.

'Right, I still have this quest to complete,' Leon sighed, momentarily setting aside all of his thoughts.

If only he were just one level above being a slave, he'd feel less concerned and more confident in this quest. He remembered that he was now a Level 2 slave, which made him wonder how much more powerful this rank was.

Leon gazed up at the mansion's gigantic front doors, adorned with marvelous carvings.

The duo reached for the door, enveloped by silence once again. Leon couldn't help but wonder how much worse the entities inside could be.

He gulped as he pushed open the door, with the baby clinging to his leg.

*ding*

[You sense sinister luck]

'Nope.'

"Welcome, my dears!"

In front of them stood a circus clown, dressed in shades of black. Its nose was the darkest of black, absorbing all light, while its cheeks were blushed with gray and its face was pale as snow. It looked as if it had stepped out of a black-and-white film.

Leon slapped the clown in a moment of panic, his hands moving faster than his brain.

"Oh, uh, perhaps the guests don't like my welcome?" the clown frowned dramatically, its lips curving downward and its brows arched in a worried manner.

"N-Noo... we-e liked it, very m-much," Leon stuttered.

His heart sank, and the baby screamed in horror as the door shut behind them with a loud thud. The waiting hall they stood in slowly filled with dim red light.

"Is that so?" the clown's frown transformed wickedly into a sinister smile, its eyes glowing.

Both of them didn't utter a word as the clown composed itself after the slap and came into full view.

"Wanna play a game?"

*ding*

[Opponent at sight: Lame Clown, Head guard of the Haunted House]

[Rank: Echo-4]

[Skill: Control over echoes of past events]

[Weapon: Temporal Dust - A rare substance that can manipulate time for short periods]

"Uhh, will you let us through if we play?" Leon managed to talk back, his confidence in leveling up and the moon sword shattered by this character profile.

*ding*

[Your Current Rank: Slave-2]

[Skills: Mediocre Stabber]

[Weapon: Double-Edged Moon sword]

'Not this thing again,' Leon felt nervous.

"Why, of course! No one's ever asked that! I will let you pass... unscathed," the clown replied after a peal of growling laughter.

"So, uh, what is this game?"

"Play statue."

As if it were a spell cast by the clown, the ground vibrated as Baby and Leon stuck together, looking around in panic.

Just then, statues of humans moved slowly from the sides, lining up beside them, indicating the start of the game.

"The game is simple. When I say 'statue,' you stay in your place. When I say 'release,' you can move freely... and the first one to reach either of the doors wins!" the clown narrated, pointing toward the end of the hall that lit up, revealing two doors.

'Hoping it's easy.'