I'm a proper student; I only take nine kinds of potions every day.

Chapter 90 The Complete Copper Plague! Ranked Apprentice (5/5)

After the beautiful woman died, her entire body rapidly collapsed and dissolved under Ivan's gaze.

The golden braids first lost their luster, turning into a few strands of withered grass fibers that scattered on the floor.

The skin and facial features merged into a blurry mass of color, eventually coalescing into a dark, twisted, soft-bodied creature resembling rotten mud.

A chilling stench of decay emanated from the black mass.

The old brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling swayed slightly from the shockwave.

At the same time, the old hunter's familiar voice drifted over from the campfire deep within the heritage site.

"Nyogda's retinue, monsters."

"In the initial stage of humanity, they are no different from normal humans, and possess an extraordinary charm."

"Characteristics: A natural musky body odor, occasional slight wriggling sensation under the skin, and dilated pupils in the dark."

"After the age of thirty, it will gradually turn into a shapeless, swollen thing."

"These monsters are highly adaptable to darkness. They can see in low light and are amphibious. They carry a large number of deadly viruses and plagues, making them carriers of dark diseases and spreaders of plagues."

"Skilled in attacking, biting, and embracing with bone spurs and tentacles; abilities primarily involve charm and mental corruption."

"The Nyogda Familia are not particularly strong in direct combat, but they are high-risk monsters. After killing them, you must handle the corpses with extreme care."

After listening to the old hunter's experience, Ivan nodded thoughtfully.

"A plague?"

Looking down, the beautiful woman who looked like a peach had completely disappeared. In front of him was a puddle of sticky stuff that looked like over-kneaded, dark dough.

Tiny bubbles slowly rose on the surface, and each bursting bubble released a new stench.

Evan blinked, his first thought being—to try the salty taste first.

So he reached out and pried off a small piece, then put it in his mouth.

"vomit!"

The taste, a mixture of hundreds of rotten smells, exploded in my mouth.

For a moment, he genuinely felt that even rat droppings in the roadside ditch were more delicious than this stuff.

You have ingested a small amount of Nyogda's retinue. Effect duration: permanent.

[Effect: Your self-awareness increases. Mental strength permanently +0.01.]

Does this reverse the side effects?

"Twist!"

[Reversal progress: 60 hours.]

"Sixty hours? That long?"

Evan smacked his lips.

"It seems this thing, like the claws of a ghoul, is pure poison."

"At this rate, even if I eat as much as I want, I won't be able to eat more than a few bites."

The copper plague has devoured the Dark Mother Fungus. Progress +1%.

The Copper Plague has devoured the Dark Plague spores. Progress +1%.

"Huh? There are such good things?"

"So the virus on that thief came from one of these monsters?"

Evan didn't care whether it tasted good or not.

Right now, pushing the copper supply to its maximum capacity is more important than anything else.

"Oh shit!"

He cursed and completed a mental preparation.

"Money is hard to earn, and monsters are hard to eat."

"But in order to become stronger—"

He picked up the sticky black mud with two fingers and took a deep breath.

"Let's do it, brothers! Let's go!"

Then he held his breath, opened his mouth wide, and forced a huge lump inside.

You have consumed a large amount of Nijogda's retinue.

Option 1: Take it as medicine and reverse the process.

[Option Two: The Copper Plague states that it desperately needs the retinue of Nijogda as a supplement, which can greatly increase its own integrity.]

Ivan gagged while grinning.

"What else is there to say, brother?"

He decisively selected option two.

You'll encounter this kind of monster again in the future. Attributes are a minor matter; extraordinary characteristics are what truly matter.

The copper plague has devoured the Dark Mother Fungus. Progress +1%.

The Copper Plague has devoured the Dark Plague spores. Progress +1%.

[The Copper Plague has consumed the Filthy Offspring trait. Progress +3%.]

Upon seeing the long list of reports, Ivan gagged while continuing to stuff food into his mouth.

In the end, he knelt down on the carpet, supporting himself with one hand and scooping up clumps of the black mud into his mouth with the other.

The old grandfather clock in the living room ticked away, and ten minutes passed quickly.

He cleaned the entire corpse of the Niyogdachun clan, leaving nothing behind, even licking away the black fluid that had seeped into the cracks in the floorboards.

"I just happened to have missed lunch."

"I don't feel very hungry anymore."

He then licked his lips: "The old hunter is still too young."

"Since the corpses of these monsters are so difficult to deal with, why not just eat them?"

After this battle, Ivan felt that there was nothing in the world he wouldn't dare to eat.

He patted his stomach and looked down at the progress bar for the copper plague on the status panel.

The copper epidemic has progressed beyond the third stage.

Only 11.483% remains to reach 100%.

"Monsters are great!"

His face was full of emotion.

"We need to kill more monsters."

This time, it once again proved an ironclad rule.

The monster's body is full of treasures.

Having dealt with the monster, Ivan turned to look at the other side of the living room, where Kerry had completely lost his ability to move.

That once respectable gray wool suit is now soaked in pus and blood, hanging on his body like a dirty rag.

What's even more chilling is that a large number of coarse red hairs have started to sprout densely on Kerry's skin, spreading from his collarbone all the way down to his jaw.

"Goodness."

Ivan frowned.

"This is an ominous sign for his later years!"

Just then, the old hunter's hoarse voice floated up from the depths of the inheritance once more.

"The sign of losing control is bestiality."

"When a person's rationality is devoured by their own animalistic nature, that animalistic nature will in turn devour their spirituality and then take over the human body."

"Then this person is completely dead, and what remains is a mad beast."

"Whether you're an ordinary person or an extraordinary one, without sufficient self-discipline, you'll eventually become a monster."

Upon hearing this, Ivan let out a long sigh.

He walked over silently and squatted down.

Carey's cloudy eyes, which no longer recognized anyone, stared blankly at the ceiling.

Ivan remained silent for a few seconds.

The coppery knuckles pressed against Kairi's neck, sinking down cleanly and decisively ending his life, which had been hollowed out by disease.

This can be considered a relatively dignified way out for him.

After finishing all that, Evan's gaze fell on Carey's skin, which was covered with warts.

The person had already died.

Those twisted, multicolored warts were still slowly wriggling under the skin, each one like a living thing with its own heartbeat.

"These... all seem to be good things."

Ivan squinted.

He used his bronze fingernails to cut a gash in Kerry's chest, then lightly sliced ​​his own left wrist. The two wounds met.

The next moment, Copper Plague went mad.

[The copper plague has consumed the complete B-virus. Progress +1%.]

[Copper Plague has devoured the Phase 2 C Virus. Progress +0.8%.]

The copper plague has consumed the initial stage of the D virus. Progress +0.8%.

[Copper plague has engulfed a highly concentrated syphilis virus. Progress +0.5%.]

[Copper plague has consumed a highly concentrated gonorrhea virus. Progress +0.5%.]

[Copper plague has consumed highly concentrated tuberculosis virus. Progress +0.5%.]

The massive data stream is like a filthy river that has burst its banks, cascading down the panel like a waterfall.

Evan stared wide-eyed, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.

Holy crap!

"How did this guy survive?"

The true state of Kerry's body had far exceeded his prior expectations.

He originally thought that Carey's body only had syphilis, or at most a B virus.

Unexpectedly, the other party's body was practically a meeting of viruses.

"No wonder the warts on your body look like they've come to life."

He stared at the wart-like growths that were still slowly wriggling on the skin.

"That's fucking terrifying."

Just as Ivan was clicking his tongue and staring at the panel...

A soft cracking sound suddenly came from his head, as if something had been shattered from the inside by an unseen hand.

[Spiritual Vision +1]

【warn! 】

[Exceptional Trait: Copper Plague, progress reached 100%. Full effect will be unlocked soon.]

[Full effect activated: Transforms the composite virus into an extremely fast-acting copper plague.]

[Warning: This effect is a cumulative extraordinary property, not a drug, and its side effects cannot be reversed.]

[Upon activation, you will gain the following weaknesses:]

[1. Top-grade rust: On the first day of each week, random structures on the surface of your body will develop rust.]

[II. Top-Tier Weak Electricity—Your electric resistance is reduced by 40%. —40% effect: When attacked by electricity, you will lose the ability to move, and the effects of the Copper Plague Virus will also be nullified.]

After reading the last line, Ivan took a deep breath.

Finally, we've reached this point!

Coming to his senses, he looked down and discovered that the warts on Kerry's body had rapidly withered away, as if something had sucked their roots out of the ground.

The tiny tumors that were just moments ago wriggling and shimmering with vibrant colors are now shriveled and blackened, curled up into patches of dark gray dead skin, clinging tightly to the decaying skin.

"Can the copper epidemic actually be enforced across different bodies?"

Ivan raised an eyebrow, a hint of unexpected joy appearing on his lips.

Clearly, all the viruses, nutrients, and properties within these warts have been completely drained by the copper plague through the wounds and blood.

"Now that the virus has been completely drained, the corpse is no longer in danger."

He straightened up and glanced at Carey.

Rest in peace.

Ivan quickly wrapped Kerry's body in the carpet, then carefully inspected the entire room to make sure he hadn't missed anything dangerous.

With his status as an investigator, he wasn't afraid of the police causing him trouble in the secular world.

Then he took off his overalls, which were splattered with pus and blood, and stuffed them into the fireplace to burn.

Wearing a faded wool shirt and wool trousers, he quickly pushed open the door and left.

The passersby outside seemed to have become accustomed to the sight of a disheveled man suddenly running out of the house.

The newsboy continued to shout out his newspapers, while the coal carts slowly passed by, the drivers on board barely glancing at them.

Ivan quickly turned into a deserted alley, pulled his hat brim down, and returned home as fast as he could.

The moment he entered, he locked the door and hung up the security chain that his father had installed before his death.

He drew the curtains to completely block out the window, then quickly scanned the area with his demon hunter's eyes to make sure there were no other abnormalities.

Only then did Evan feel relieved and click the confirm option.

The next instant, Ivan clearly felt a tremendous force erupt from his body.

Large amounts of purplish-red molten copper seeped out from the pores all over the body, and then quickly combined with the skin, transforming it into a pure copper structure.

Meanwhile, on the other side, starting from his left chest, a large number of strange patterns began to spread rapidly, quickly covering his entire body.

Previously, the brass skin had no patterns in Phase 1 and Phase 2, but now it has a large number of deep and complex patterns.

Ivan examined the area closely and could vaguely make out tombstones, skulls, mist, and tattered banners from the patterns—

..

The patterns seemed to have a life of their own, constantly wriggling on his brass skin, eventually merging into a large pattern.

The pattern looks so deep and complex that just one glance can make you feel dizzy. If you look closely, you can see that it is a world of tombstones that looks like the end of the world.

The sky was filled with all kinds of twinkling stars.

In the center of that ancient starry sky, there seemed to be a vague entity looking down upon the earth.

"Has! Has! Hastur!!!"

Just then, an incredibly terrifying roar, as if coming from the abyss, suddenly appeared in Ivan's mind.

The sound seemed to belong to no language, yet it was also like the source of all languages ​​in the world.

He frantically tore at and twisted Ivan's spirit and will, trying to drag him into that bottomless abyss.

Evan felt as if he was being transported through a dim, yellowish light in a daze.

In a daze, he saw an enormous piece of amber.

Deep within the amber lies a vague outline of unknown size.

The outline seemed to sense someone's arrival and suddenly twitched.

Upon seeing this, Ivan immediately grinned and said in a sunny tone, "Oh my, you're awake?"

"This humble servant greets you!"

call!

Something seemed to be angry and slapped him back, startling Ivan, who was leaning against the sofa.

The moment he opened his eyes, he realized that his clothes were completely soaked.

He clenched his fist to make sure he was back in reality, then looked down.

An indescribable, terrifying power was coursing through his body.

At the same time, some almost instinctive memories have been perfectly integrated with his original memories.

How to control the copper-plated body, how to quickly absorb viruses from the outside world, how to condense different pathogens into more lethal forms —

Each of these actions seemed to be something he knew from birth, like eating and breathing—instincts that didn't require conscious thought.

Ivan stood up and stretched, his gaze falling on a row of attributes on the panel that had never been lit before, but were now lit up.

[Position: Apprentice.]

>