Lynn stared wide-eyed, cold sweat soaking through his clothes. But regardless—if it had come for treatment, that meant his life was safe… for now.
His eyes twitching nervously, he pulled on a mask and stared at the giant scarlet maw, its rows of sharp teeth glistening with blood and flesh. "Don't worry, I'll definitely cure you. A toothache is just a minor issue!"
"Which tooth hurts, please?" Lynn asked, still staring.
"Back molar—" the baby head's voice echoed.
Lynn peered into the gaping maw, but the back was too dark to see clearly. Gritting his teeth, he made a bold decision.
"Could you open your mouth a little wider? I'll diagnose you right now."
"Ah—" The baby head opened its mouth slightly.
[Ding! Quest Triggered: Heal the Toothache. Rewards: 1 Special Reward, ??? Affinity +50, 1000 Skull Coins. Failure Penalty: None.]
Lynn: "!!!"
Of course there's no penalty! Because if I fail, I'll be dead—what else could it be?!
Lynn took a deep breath to steady himself. At this point, he had no choice but to treat a desperate situation with a desperate measure.
Stay calm, stay calm! Just treat it like an ordinary kid! You've got this!
Lynn carefully climbed onto the baby head's lower lip, jumped onto its tongue, and forced himself to endure the stench as he made his way toward the back molars. The deeper he went, the more foul the odor became.
"It's too dark—I can't see!" Lynn shouted.
A terrifying scene unfolded: one of the tentacles slowly lifted above the baby head, then wrapped around one of its eyes and stretched into the maw. In an instant, pale light illuminated the entire oral cavity.
Lynn broke out in a cold sweat. "I can see now!" he yelled, wasting no time. He turned and glanced toward the back molars.
The teeth were caked with all kinds of "food" residue—severed hands, shattered skulls, internal organs, and rotting flesh. It was an indescribably horrific sight. Clearly, this monster had an extremely varied diet.
[Sanity: -1]
[Sanity: -1]
Fighting back his terror, Lynn searched carefully. Then his gaze locked onto a spear stuck in one of the back molars.
[Holy Spear (Damaged)]
[Rarity: Legendary]
[Description: A spear that fell into the Dark World from an unknown realm, infused with a holy blessing. Deals massive damage to wraiths, aberrations, and demons.]
Lynn's heart skipped a beat. So that's what was causing the toothache! He never expected to find another non-Dark World weapon—just like the demon hunter's revolver. And it was holy-attributed. Could the spear be inflicting excruciating pain on the monster?
Hesitantly, Lynn stepped closer. Stuck to the tip of the spear was a slimy severed hand. Clearly, the spear's wielder had been swallowed whole by the monster. Most of their body had been digested, but the weapon had gotten stuck firmly between its teeth.
"Sir! I found the cause of your toothache!" Lynn shouted.
The soft, eerie voice replied: "Pull out—can't pull out—eat you—"
Lynn steadied himself. His gaze then fell on the pile of severed limbs and organs around the back molar:
[Eye Demon Healer's Tentacle Shard x1]
[Wraith Witch Doctor's Arm x1]
[Inferno Mad Doctor's Eyeball x1]
Lynn's heart raced. This was definitely not the first doctor it had eaten. Before coming here, it must have visited many healers—and judging by the mess, this patient had a terrible temper. When it said it would eat you, it meant it.
But Lynn soon noticed a common thread: all those doctors were Dark World creatures. The holy spear clearly countered demons strongly, which explained why they couldn't pull it out. But he was different—he was human, unaffected by holy power. That might be his biggest advantage.
Lynn composed himself, walked up to the stinking back molar, rolled up his sleeves, and grabbed the spear firmly.
Hum—
A faint glow emanated from the spear before fading quickly. No backlash! Just as he'd guessed.
"I'm pulling now!" Lynn yelled. He used every ounce of strength, gripping the spear with both hands and planting one foot against the molar to yank outward. His life depended on getting this thing out. Success meant survival; failure meant joining the other doctors in the monster's stomach!
Crack—Crack—
"It's loose!" The eye holding the light lit up with excitement.
Encouraged, Lynn pulled harder (〃＞皿＜), but his strength was too small. The spear only wiggled slightly, and yanking it further grew increasingly difficult.
"Lend a hand! Lend a hand!" Lynn gritted his teeth, shouting at the excited tentacles hovering outside the maw.
After a brief pause, the tentacles swarmed in, coiling around Lynn's waist one by one and pulling outward. But they only squeezed him so hard he nearly passed out—progress on the spear remained glacial.
Lynn panicked. "Stop! Listen to my count! On 1-2-3, we pull together—got it?!"
"Got—it—"
Lynn took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the spear, and set his jaw.
"1!"
"2!"
"3!"
"Pull!"
Lynn roared. Instantly, he and the tentacles pulled with all their might (〃＞皿＜).
"1-2-3! Pull!"
"Heave!"
"1-2-3, Pull!"
Squelch—
Propelled by the momentum, the spear finally flew out of the maw and crashed heavily to the ground.
"We did it!" Lynn stared at the spear in a daze. So he wasn't going to die after all?
[??? Affinity for You: +20]
"But—still—hurts—" The giant head lowered one eye, its gaze engulfing Lynn like a searchlight.
Lynn peeked inside and saw a large hole in the molar where the spear had been—blood was gushing out like a fountain.
"One moment!" Without another word, Lynn smiled, raced back to the shop, and rummaged through cabinets to grab a handful of anesthetic and hemostatic potions. Now that the foreign object was out, the rest would be easy. Ignoring the monster's terrifying appearance, it was no different from his other customers.
He dashed back. "Bleeding is a normal reaction, but you'll need further treatment to fully recover!"
"Keep your mouth open and don't move."
With the cause found and the spear removed, the rest was his expertise. Lynn's expression turned serious as he climbed back into the maw and onto the bleeding molar. He moved more confidently this time. The hole, though only fist-sized, ran deep into the root. On closer inspection, holy energy lingered inside, glowing faintly—it was this lingering holy power that kept torturing the monster with pain.
But the bleeding was too heavy, making it hard to apply the hemostatic and anesthetic to the root. Lynn thought for a moment, then his gaze fell on the light-holding eye and a nearby blood-red tentacle beside it—soft, smooth, and cute-looking.
Smack—
Lynn grabbed the tentacle.
"Sir, do you still need this tentacle? I need it to ease your pain!" he shouted.
"Huh—?"
Squelch—
Lynn sliced off the cute little tentacle with one swift cut.
Giant Baby Head: "(ΩДΩ)!!"