Chapter 30 Yuri, the "Chopping Board Master"

"Old Gu, the third floor seems to be the staff dormitory!" Chu Ling pointed to the yellowing sign on the corridor wall. The words "Staff Dormitory, Authorized Personnel Only" were blurry, but still legible.

"Let's look around and see if there are any weapons we can use."

Gu Ye scanned the corridor, sensed no presence of any monsters, walked straight to the nearest room, 302, and gently turned the doorknob.

Upon entering the room, a pungent smell of smoke swept over them, and both of them quickly covered their noses.

"This smell is even more pungent than the dry tobacco my grandfather smokes," Chu Ling couldn't help but complain.

The room only contained an iron-frame bed with blackened bedding and a peeling wooden wardrobe. Enduring the pungent smell, the two began to rummage through the bed and wardrobe.

Gu Ye searched the bed and under the bed, but found nothing except for moldy quilts.

"Old Gu, I found something good," Chu Ling's voice suddenly rang out, filled with a hint of excitement.

He dragged an old notebook out from the depths of the wardrobe, clutching a gleaming bone-chopping knife in his hand.

"This bone-chopping knife is much longer than a normal one, and it's quite heavy too," Chu Ling weighed the bone-chopping knife in his hand. The blade was thick and sharp, with traces of dark red stains that hadn't been cleaned off along the edge.

He put down the bone-chopping knife and picked up the notebook to browse through it. Gu Ye leaned in and, seeing the crooked handwriting on the first page, realized that this was actually a diary.

Gu Ye felt it was bizarre that a monster could actually write a diary.

[October 20th, Overcast. It ate all the marine life. Head Chef Larson told me to go buy fresh seafood. It's annoying, this isn't even my responsibility...]

[November 5th, Rainy. I got into a fight with the apprentice Soyer. He actually wanted to take my position as Butchering Master. If the other apprentice, Wood, hadn't held me back, it wouldn't have been as simple as just eating one of his arms.]

[December 8th, Sunny. As a Butchering Master, my kitchen knife is my life. I don't know who stole it. If I catch him, I'll feed the kitchen knife to him. Now I only have this bone-chopping knife left; it's really not convenient for cutting meat.]

[January 1st, Foggy. He has arrived. Everyone in the restaurant must get to work to serve Him.]

[January 10th, Hazy. I saw Head Chef Larson put the things He bestowed into the safe in his room. I really want to know what it is; it's making me itching with curiosity...]

[January 15th, Thunder. A major event happened today. He split into two, and the two of Him started fighting each other. None of us cooks dared to move; we could only wait for Them to finish fighting. Then It appeared, and It helped one of Him...]

The diary did not record the subsequent battle, and Gu Ye felt that Yuri probably didn't dare to write it down. The rest of the notebook recorded some daily trivialities, and there was no mention of Him or It again.

Chu Ling picked up the bone-chopping knife and swung it twice: "So both the bone-chopping knife and the kitchen knife belonged to the Butchering Master Yuri. Now we have a means of attack too."

Chu Ling disgustedly threw away the table leg in his hand, which was still stained with the blood of a [Claw-Suspended Person]. The two searched the room again, but their final haul was just this diary and the bone-chopping knife.

"Click!"

"Apprentice Soyer, look! I've caught two little mice." The room door was suddenly pushed open. A [Claw-Suspended Person] poked its head in, grinning at the shadows behind it. The look in its eyes as it stared at Gu Ye and his companion was undisguised greed.

Soyer, leaning against the wall outside the door, rolled his rotting eyeballs. Upon seeing the bone-chopping knife in Chu Ling's hand, his pupils suddenly constricted, and his rotting cheeks twitched slightly, as if he felt the excruciating pain of having his arm chopped off years ago.

Soyer's eyes sharpened. The flesh on half of his face had long since fallen off, revealing ghastly white bone. He coldly shouted at the [Claw-Suspended Person]: "Catch them!"

Although that was what he said to the [Claw-Suspended Person], his footsteps were silently retreating, clearing a path for Gu Ye and the others.

The [Claw-Suspended Person] gave a hideous smile and prepared to attack, but Chu Ling was faster.

"Take this!"

Chu Ling wielded the bone-chopping knife and slashed at the [Claw-Suspended Person] blocking the door. In its haste, it extended its sharp claws to block. As a kitchen tool for the Butchering Master Yuri, which had to chop countless bones and monsters every day, if the bone-chopping knife were any bit trash, how could Yuri have been qualified for the position?

The bone-chopping knife severed the [Claw-Suspended Person]'s pair of claws without suspense. If it hadn't retreated slightly, it might have been split in two by Chu Ling.

Seeing that the strike didn't have much effect and knowing the [Claw-Suspended Person]'s terrifying recovery ability, Chu Ling kicked it hard into the corridor.

"Old Gu, let's go!"

Chu Ling shouted while holding the bone-chopping knife, blocking the doorway to cover Gu Ye as he rushed out first. The two filed out and sprinted straight toward the stairwell. Gu Ye paved the way in front while Chu Ling brought up the rear, constantly vigilant of the movements behind them.

Chu Ling specifically glanced at Soyer, who remained where he was, but saw him still leaning against the corridor, just staring in the direction they had left, with no intention of chasing after them.

Seeing them disappear into the stairs, a flash of joy crossed Soyer's eyes.

"Why didn't you help!" the [Claw-Suspended Person] demanded immediately after crawling up, its tone full of anger. It pointed its regrown claws at Soyer, as if it wouldn't give up until it got an explanation.

"Swish~"

With a flash of cold light, the arm that the [Claw-Suspended Person] was pointing with was twisted off at the root by Soyer and held in his hand: "This way, it looks more comfortable to me."

"Ah!" the [Claw-Suspended Person] screamed, reaching out to cover its bleeding stump, its eyes full of fear as it looked at Soyer.

Soyer began to gnaw on its arm and sneered: "You piece of trash, what right do you have to question me?"

The [Claw-Suspended Person] didn't dare to say a word, and could only watch as Soyer turned and left.

"Pah~"

"What a piece of trash!" Soyer tossed the [Claw-Suspended Person]'s arm onto the ground and gradually disappeared from its field of vision. It desperately suppressed its twitching eyelids, afraid that if it lost control and went up there, it would lose its life.

"Damn, damn, damn!" It punched the wall hard.

"Phew!" Both of them were still shaken after returning to the private room.

"That monster named Soyer from just now was a Bronze Rank 8. If he hadn't held back, we might have stayed there." Chu Ling calmed down after a while, barely steadying his breathing, and said with lingering fear.

"Yuri, who could chop off one of his arms, might be a Silver-level Monster." Gu Ye shook the notebook in his hand, his tone grave.

Chu Ling looked hopeless. According to the intelligence provided by Yan Shuangling, this Card Domain was a medium-level trial. But with a suspected Silver-level Monster appearing, how could it possibly be just a trial-level Card Domain?

Gu Ye raised his hand and checked his watch; it had been exactly ten minutes from when they left to when they returned.

"Why haven't they come back yet?" Gu Ye's brows revealed his concern. He decided to wait another minute, and if they still hadn't returned, he would go find them.

A moment later, the door to the private room was knocked on again. Chu Ling walked to the door cautiously, holding the bone-chopping knife, and asked: "Who is it!"

"It's me!" Hearing Ye Suxuan's voice, Chu Ling asked: "Code?"

After the code was correctly given, Chu Ling opened the door and welcomed them in.

Seeing the three of them were very excited, Gu Ye asked curiously: "What's wrong?"

The three sat down on chairs. Hearing Gu Ye's inquiry, Third Mother Li and Ye Suxuan both looked at Yan Shuangling in the middle.

She didn't waste any words, stretched out her hand, and a card appeared in her palm.

"How did you get the blood core?" Chu Ling stared at the card in her hand, very curious. In the next few minutes, Ye Suxuan explained to the two of them how they had managed to pick up a bargain from an injured monster.