[Ding! You have obtained Alice's Fragment x1]

But at that very moment, a sinister voice suddenly came from behind him.

"What are you... looking for?"

Lynn sharply turned his head.

He discovered that the little girl was already standing behind him, and her body was currently engulfed in raging flames. Her expression was no longer as vacant as before, but completely twisted with malice.

Lynn knew that the evil spirit currently possessing her was the very vengeful ghost who had created all of this tragedy!

The witch who was burned at the stake! Alice's birth mother.

Whoosh—

In an instant, the girl viciously raised her hand, and Lynn was immediately seized by an invisible force that choked his throat, lifting him into the air.

Lynn gritted his teeth, forcibly pulling his face into a smile.

"Alice! I'm... looking for your corpse!"

The girl's twisted face suddenly froze in surprise, her broken eyeballs twitching violently.

"I am your doctor... of course... if you truly wish it... we could also become..."

"Family!"

Before his eyes, he immediately saw Alice and Madam Mary's status panels rapidly switching back and forth at high frequency.

This was also Lynn's only method to determine exactly who he was currently facing.

And seizing this opportunity.

Lynn roared: "Zuo Zuo!!"

Almost the exact moment he shouted Zuo Zuo's name!

As if reading his mind!

His left hand suddenly melted into countless streams of pitch-black slime, splattering noisily onto the floor.

One after another, wailing infants crawled out from the viscous fluid, filling the entire main hall with their sanity-shattering shrieks.

"Ahhhhhhh—"

A piercing scream tore through the air.

The girl released the force restraining Lynn, desperately covering her ears as she began to crumble under the massive psychic assault.

Lynn didn't hesitate for even a second.

He quickly gathered Zuo Zuo back together, gritted his teeth, and erupted all his tentacles, madly charging toward the kitchen.

Because that's where Alice's final fragment remained!

The moment he understood he was facing a dual vengeful ghost, the moment he realized the entire ancient castle was composed of curses, he knew this vengeful ghost absolutely couldn't be defeated with his current power!

Because this was hatred!

This was bitter resentment!

This wasn't something that could be erased through physical means!

And aside from Zuo Zuo's psychic contamination abilities, he had almost no methods to deal with evil spirits and curses.

While his time-limited curse abilities could be activated.

Lynn knew that if the hatred and resentment weren't diminished, they couldn't cause any substantial effect on them!

Because the hatred and resentment were the core entities!

"I want you dead!"

Rushing into the corridor, Lynn immediately heard the vicious shrieking coming from behind him.

The corridor before Lynn instantly transformed, bursting into raging flames as crimson fire surged toward him in rolling waves.

Behind him, the girl who had shaken off the contamination was closing in rapidly, her face twisted with malice.

At this moment.

Lynn wasted no words, suddenly extending his hand and retrieving the reward he had just obtained.

[Witch's Veil!]

The moment he put on the veil, Lynn fearlessly charged into the blazing inferno.

Each step brought burning agony.

Each step brought illusory destruction!

His tentacles desperately gripped the surrounding walls, violently propelling him forward.

But just as he was about to reach the kitchen.

Lynn's pupils abruptly contracted.

He immediately felt the scorching yet icy sensation spreading across his back.

A bloody hand passed effortlessly through his back, gripping his beating heart.

The intense burning sensation radiating from his heart.

Felt like it would incinerate his entire body.

At this moment.

Lynn didn't hesitate for even a moment, suddenly drawing the Night Demon Blade, gritting his teeth as he stabbed it straight through his own chest from the front. The Night Demon Blade coated with ghost-revealing potion pierced through just as that hand was about to crush his heart.

A sharp roar from the evil spirit came from behind.

Lynn tumbled violently onto the floor, the severed bloody hand of the screaming little girl behind him instantly regenerating.

His stab hadn't caused any substantial damage to her at all.

"Focus!"

Just as the vengeful ghost was about to pounce and tear him to pieces, Lynn punched the Focusing Eye into his own eye socket, viciously activating his left eye's skill.

Buzz—

Instantly.

The surging curse power from the Dark Eye caused the vengeful ghost's entire body to begin melting.

Piercing screams echoed throughout the entire corridor.

But Lynn knew.

Even the Focusing Eye could only hold her off for a short while!

Because this entire ancient castle was formed from Alice's hatred and resentment, she was the earthbound spirit here, and as long as the castle remained, she couldn't be destroyed!

And now, that vengeful ghost and Alice shared the curses and resentment of this place!

Lynn gritted his teeth.

Suddenly shooting out a tentacle, he pulled himself forward at maximum speed, crashing violently into the kitchen.

The moment he stepped inside, Lynn discovered.

The entire kitchen had already been burning for some time, those boning knives and spoons that had been rhythmically chopping were now screaming pitifully as they burned in the flames.

But deep within the kitchen, the Pig-Headed Butcher seemed completely unaware of the changes around him, still stirring the thick soup in his pot.

He and the surrounding scene appeared completely mismatched.

Lynn gritted his teeth, rushing forward quickly with great effort.

"You've come?"

The Pig-Headed Butcher turned and glanced at him, saying calmly:

"The soup is ready. I promised to let you taste a bowl, are you prepared?"

He turned around, holding a bowl of rich broth that emitted waves of intense fragrance.

And Lynn's eyes immediately saw the description of that bowl of soup.

[Unfinished Heart and Brain Soup]: A rich broth brewed from one kind heart and one evil brain. Drinking it will randomly grant one piece of knowledge and randomly inflict one curse.

Lynn froze.

His gaze focused on the bowl of soup.

And at that moment, he saw a brain and a heart floating in the boiling broth within that pot.

Alice's heart!

The final remaining piece of the puzzle!

But why was it in...

As if noticing Lynn's confusion, the Pig-Headed Butcher said calmly: "That is extremely rare material, one of the few kind hearts in this Dark World. However, because it's been tainted by too much malice, it didn't meet my requirements."

"This pot of soup is a failure."

Lynn immediately stood up, saying earnestly:

"Can you give me that heart? I can trade with you!"

The Pig-Headed Butcher said calmly: "Do you want to use that heart to resolve that little girl's hatred?"

Lynn adjusted his monocle, stating calmly: "I am a doctor. I have accepted my patient's commission."