Chapter 9: Already Seen Through

Chapter 9: Already Seen Through (4,000-word Chapter)

"Hmm?" The shop assistant blinked, her tear-streaked face twisting in confusion. "Take it yourself?"

"Yes", Lin Hanchuan replied earnestly, his gaze lingering on the girl's pitiable demeanor and delicate beauty that marked her as the village's most captivating flower.

Truthfully, Descent Online's character models were stunningly realistic.

In this game, both wild monsters and Npcs possessed an uncanny lifelike quality, as though they were genuine beings from another world. This immersive realism was why Descent Online had become a global phenomenon.

"Too little?" she asked, her tear-filled eyes gazing up at him with heartbreaking vulnerability.

This expression could melt even the coldest heart—

Unfortunately for her, Lin Hanchuan wasn't most people.

"Not at all!" he shook his head. Killing a level 5 Bāo Nüè Mó Rén in the easiest way possible and receiving 10 gold coins as payment was already generous.

Exceedingly generous.

Even earning the milestone title for defeating a demon's first kill had only rewarded him five gold coins. At this early stage, when most monsters dropped copper coins, gold rewards were absurdly advantageous.

But this wasn't just a quest reward.

Lin Hanchuan's eyes swept the room before settling on the girl's left hand, now hidden in her sleeve. Though her fingers were obscured, three razor-sharp claws protruded from her sleeve, too wide and long to conceal completely. And anyone trying to claim this reward would likely end up dead.

"Why would you say that?" she pressed, her voice trembling.

"I didn't expect you to ask that", Lin Hanchuan stepped back slightly, his tone still calm. "Clearly, you weren't listening when I said—"

"Said what?"

"—that I despise demons most of all!" His voice hardened as he pulled out two potions—a basic agility potion and a basic intelligence potion.

"Why are you taking out potions?" Her voice wavered, but her sleeve stirred as her hidden hand moved.

"Nothing special. Just suddenly felt thirsty." Under her watchful gaze, he uncorked both bottles and drank them in one gulp.

The next moment, his hand shot forward—a fireball hurtled through the air in a blazing arc toward the shop assistant.

The attack came without warning.

Boom!

-21 HP!

"You?" The girl staggered, 21 HP stripped from her. She still wore a baffled expression, as though unable to comprehend why he'd turned on her.

Hmph!

Lin Hanchuan dropped all pretense, smirking as fireballs flew from his hands one after another. Against demons—especially cunning ones like this—he believed in striking first.

Unlike most mages who dumped all their free attribute points into intelligence for spell power, he'd invested nearly half into agility early on. This decision paid dividends now—his movement speed and casting speed had increased dramatically.

Fireball (Level 1) had no cooldown, so he could spam it rapidly. With his agility, he could unleash 2.5 spells per second. While agility had diminishing returns on casting speed, its boost made early-game combat far more efficient. He'd focus on intelligence and spirit later, and always allocate a few points into strength.

Strength affected HP, equipment requirements, and projectile speed. Mage armor required strength to wear, and increasing strength improved attack speed for thrown spells. In his previous playthrough, he'd routinely added strength points, eventually reaching a speed where his fireballs broke the sound barrier. Coupled with his agility, his attacks became an unstoppable barrage.

But here, in this enclosed corridor with the demon trapped against the warehouse wall, raw speed mattered less.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

-21 HP!
-18 HP!
-20 HP!

Fireball after fireball struck the girl as she continued feigning humanity.

"Why are you killing me?"
"I'm human!"
"Will you face the village elder's punishment?"
"Stop! It hurts!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Lin Hanchuan kept firing.

-23 HP!
-18 HP!
...
-8 HP!

The damage numbers dwindled to single digits—her health was nearly depleted.

The girl shop assistant's delicate, porcelain-like skin began flaking away in shards, revealing an obsidian-black exterior and glowing violet eyes beneath. Her hands, emerging from wide sleeves, bore claws exceeding thirty centimeters in length - ten razor-sharp blades gleaming coldly under the glowstone light.

Dark Claw Demon
Rank: 5th Class
Elite Rank
Health: 850
Attack: 80~200
Note: These demons tear open opponents' chests to devour their entrails. In darkness, all attributes increase by 10%.

Lin Hanchuan barely glanced at the system notification displaying this information. He already knew their demon race - Dark Claw Demons were unique among their kind for having uncontrollable nail growth no matter how carefully they concealed themselves. Their claws grew faster with emotional intensity.

What surprised him was discovering this particular demon understood rune arrays. The trap that had ensnared Bāo Nüè Mó Rén required at least a Mid-tier Rune Mage's skill to construct.

"How did you see through my disguise?" The Dark Claw Demon retreated into the warehouse, her voice tinged with confusion despite her exposed form. She'd hidden her ever-growing claws so carefully beneath her flowing sleeves, revealing absolutely nothing.

"From the start, something felt off", Lin Hanchuan remained in the corridor, eyeing the warehouse entrance warily. Pursuing her now would risk triggering unknown traps. He sighed as his Agility and Intelligence potions began wearing off. He'd deliberately held back against Bāo Nüè Mó Rén earlier, saving his potion-boosted power for this moment.

The Dark Claw Demon proved more cunning than typical ogres, retreating strategically rather than attacking recklessly. Her intelligence rivaled the bearded-elder ogre's, making her one of the demon race's most promising specimens.

A water orb splattered inside the warehouse. "A small orb won't flood the entire space", the demon mused. "Why reveal yourself then?" Lin Hanchuan elaborated, "The apothecary thrives not through poor customers, but those lacking funds. Once they have currency, they return naturally - no need for a pitiful shopgirl's solicitation."

His water orbs continued splashing inside as he explained, "Your actions and Bāo Nüè Mó Rén's trap suggest you needed help defeating him. Yet your strength combined with that rune array should've sufficed. Why involve humans?"

The warehouse fell silent until a soft chuckle broke the stillness. "Clever indeed." The system confirmed his deduction:
[Hidden Quest: Investigate Newbie Village 56] Progress 1/3

"More convinced me of your true nature", he continued. "When confronting your supposed 'father', you showed no fear typical of humans facing stronger beings. Only someone possessing equal capability would remain utterly unafraid."

A shower of claw-sounds erupted from the warehouse. "Remarkable! You deduced my plans completely - even the trap prepared for you. Unfortunately, your cleverness ends here."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end