Chapter 44: The Third Level

In the long and narrow corridor, corpses lay scattered everywhere, each dressed in a patient's gown.

These corpses were in a state of semi-decomposition, yet the air quality in the corridor had not deteriorated to the point of being unbreathable.

The stench of decay floating in the air was not overwhelming, as if these bodies had been lying here for such a long time that the smell of rot had nearly dissipated.

Looking ahead, at the very end of the corridor, a person resembling a doctor stood there, head lowered as he read through a document.

"Are there two patients coming for a consultation this time?" The doctor raised his head, looking at Su Weiyu and Xia Shou, and then a puzzled expression appeared on his face. "You both seem able to see me."

Xia Shou frowned deeply. This was the first time they had encountered a doctor who could speak.

In the previous two checkpoints, the two doctors hadn't spoken a single word to them before dying; rather than being guardians of the trials, they were more like monsters following a certain mechanism.

The doctor before them, however, seemed much more human. But unfortunately... the mere fact that he could see Su Weiyu proved that this fellow was not human at all.

"Not answering? Then I shall speak first. First of all, I have a proposal: do the two of you have any interest in becoming the chief physicians of this sanatorium? Just like me, you would be responsible for maintaining Idlisu's daily medical care for the young lady, ensuring no one disturbs him," the doctor said with a smile.

With that, he raised his hand. The flesh on his right palm surged and writhed, and a key was pushed out from within.

Then, he raised his other hand, and the flesh in that palm writhed once more, a second key rising from his palm!

He actually had two keys!

"My two previous colleagues failed to properly fulfill their duties, so being dismissed was only right.

Now, there happen to be two vacancies for chief physicians, and I believe you both have considerable strength and are fully capable of taking on these roles.

Oh! Don't make faces like that, and certainly don't rush to refuse; I am doing this for your own good.

It is not to boast, but the two chiefs you defeated—although we are of the same rank in title—were not on the same level as me in terms of professional proficiency.

Though I don't know why you are immune to the influence of the keys, to be blunt, you have absolutely zero possibility of surpassing me."

A look of disgust appeared on Su Weiyu's face. "Don't bother wasting your breath on him. This guy just acts like a human."

Su Weiyu was well aware of the specifics of her constitution: as long as someone was truly human, it was impossible for them to see her. Even the highest-ranking Level 7 Finishers she had encountered could not see her.

And the standard for distinguishing whether someone was human was not based on physical and physiological structures.

She had encountered many entities whose bodies had completely lost human shape, yet whose spirits remained human, and such "existences" still could not see her.

However, there were also many things whose spirits were entirely non-human, yet whose appearances remained human... much like the doctor before her.

To judge whether a creature was human in spirit depended on whether its thoughts and actions revolved around human emotions, meaning whether it possessed human nature.

Clearly, although the doctor in front of them looked like a person, in reality, he had become a part of the sanatorium's rule-based mechanism. Much like an NPC in a game, while his setting was human and his lines were indistinguishable from a human's, he was fundamentally not a real person.

"Let me go first. The doctors here have very poor close-combat skills." Su Weiyu raised the Dojigiri, deciding to probe first.

This great tachi named [Dojigiri] was forged by the Hoki swordsman Yasutsuna. Minamoto no Raikou had once used this blade to slay the demon Shuten-doji, hence the name Dojigiri (Demon Cutter).

The authenticity of such events was no longer verifiable, but there was no doubt that this sword possessed a mysterious power. Anyone who wielded it could gain the swordsmanship of its former owner, Minamoto no Raikou, which was formidable enough to slay vicious demons.

As the wielder's wearing time increased, the martial arts replicated by the user would become increasingly refined, ultimately unleashing swordsmanship that completely defied the laws of physics.

Su Weiyu had carried this sword with her for a very, very long time. She could now wield this heavy tachi to execute a lightning-fast triple slash that a normal person's dynamic vision could never capture. When she swung the blade, all that remained in the air were blurred afterimages.

Su Weiyu tapped her toes on the ground, her body suddenly lunging forward.

This was the first time Xia Shou had ever seen Su Weiyu fight. Prior to this, Su Weiyu's strikes either ended the battle instantly or concluded it shrouded in darkness.

He saw Su Weiyu's body instantaneously glide forward a great distance—a dashing movement no human could possibly achieve. Even when he fought the Blood Demon, possessing both [Superhuman Physique] and [Incomplete Vacuum] simultaneously, it was no better than this!

Almost instantly, Su Weiyu arrived in front of the doctor, her long blade slashing down from above!

Xia Shou only saw the dust in the air shaken apart as the afterimage flashed across the doctor's body.

Yet the doctor before them remained completely unharmed, and he hadn't even made any dodging motion!

"I told you, it's impossible for you to win."

With a smile, the doctor calmly produced a scalpel from the inner lining of his white lab coat, and with completely ordinary speed, sliced straight toward Su Weiyu's throat!

Su Weiyu's pupils suddenly contracted as she leaned backward to dodge the razor-sharp scalpel, leaving behind only a wisp of severed hair.

Adjusting the edge of the Dojigiri in her hand, she delivered another horizontal slash aimed at decapitation. However, the blade swept through the opponent's neck like a phantom passing through a mirage, completely devoid of any physical sensation of impact.

"In a hospital, patients must listen to the doctor," the doctor said coldly.

"Who's going to listen to you!"

Su Weiyu's fingers formed the shape of an eagle's claw, shooting out like lightning in an attempt to grab the opponent's wrist.

The moment her fingers made contact with the opponent's wrist, her hand passed right through his body, as if nothing at all existed there.

"Is he the Hand Doctor?!"

Was the Hand Doctor's ability that he couldn't be touched by hands?

No! Not just that he couldn't be touched by hands.

Just now, the Dojigiri couldn't cut him either; therefore, anything involving hands—even tools indirectly driven by hands—could not touch the opponent.

Su Weiyu leaped backward with all her might. While putting distance between them, she executed a graceful flying side kick aimed at the opponent's wrist.

Her foot passed right through the opponent's arm, while the Hand Doctor smoothly swung his scalpel, slashing open a bloody gash on Su Weiyu's calf.

"Damn it!" Su Weiyu cursed through the pain.

Seeing this, Xia Shou was also startled.

Even kicks with the foot couldn't touch him!

He suddenly understood why the fellow had spoken so brazenly about them having no chance of winning.

Because this guy simultaneously controlled the two keys: "Hand" and "Foot"!

Anything using hands and feet, as well as objects indirectly used via hands and feet, could not touch the opponent. This practically meant losing any and all means of attack!

No, more rigorous testing was required; it was still too early to jump to conclusions.