Before I questioned Master Wang if he was questioning my sanity, he spoke to me.

“To be honest, our martial style is not for the faint of heart. You and I are not the only practitioners. I spread this art around, but the only ones still alive to use it are you and me. Everyone who had any skill was a little bit crazy.”

I let him speak as he starts walking around the room.

“My best of friends had a trait called [Maniacal]. He was a mental patient at the time of the collision. He was almost as good as me in my prime, but he died prematurely by falling into a volcano.”

Master Wang smiles a little as he reminiscences his past.

“I have gained a title from over a century of dedication to this martial style. Don’t tell anyone else, especially my family, but it's called [Old Masochist]. The effects are pretty good, and it adds a decent amount of years to my lifespan, so I am not complaining.”

I am not shocked by his reveal.

“Since you managed to not complain the entire time during the 16 tests, I believe that you are special like my old buddies.”

I shiver at the look in his eyes. I don’t want to be compared with a group of old crazy masochists that went around getting hit.

“This specific style is the most extreme version I have available. Other forms may focus on reflecting damage or counter techniques, but this one is the most grueling.”

“It’s about breaking your body until it can’t break anymore, then healing yourself. Repeating the process until you can’t damage yourself anymore and need someone else to do i. It is the most authentic form of my martial arts. Even the one I am most proficient in is about sacrificing health to deal massive damage.”

“That's where I earned my moniker Master Wang of the Broken Fist.”

“If you don’t want to take it, I understand.”

I let Master Wang finish his rant before asking my question.

“Why is it called [Insanity] and not something else?”

“Because you would have to be insane if you wanted to master this art.”

FUCK. I take the manual anyway.

~

I wanted to leave and read in the comfort of my home, but I still had to ask Rain if she could make me an arm for the short term. I find her in the same courtyard that she helped in my torture.

“Hello Rain, may I ask you for a favor?”

She looks at all my tamed beasts before answering my question. “Sure, but tell me about what happened to Rob?”

I look down at my little buddy. Rob has changed since the last time Rain saw him, so the question is valid. I take my time to explain everything to her, leaving out the sensitive details.

“I understand. What was the favor you wanted.”

“I heard that you were a talented artificer. I was wondering if you would make me an arm.”

She inspects my prosthetics and clicks her tongue in disgust.

“This is shoddy work. I can make better ones in my sleep.”

“Is that a yes?”

“I don’t work for free. Just agree to be a test subject for a few things, and I will make you an arm.”

I ponder her offer and decide that feeling pain is worth not having a useless hunk of metal that is only the shape of an arm because of convenience. Using this damn thing takes more mana than I expected.

“Sure, the only thing I require for my arm is to be as resilient as my body.”

“That's it? You don't want guns or other enchantments?”

“Whatever you think would work, but I need my requirements to be completed first.”

“Alright, give me your phone number. I’ll call you when I am ready. But first, my experiment.”

~

She made a new type of acid that doesn’t harm the skin but melts away organs. She made me digest some. I questioned her if this was poison with extra steps, so she poisoned me so I could truly feel the difference.

Resistance: Acid 50 > 60

Resistance: Poison 65 > 70

I decided to make an appearance to my parents and stop by for dinner. Technically I haven’t moved out of my parents' house, but I think they understand that I would like to stay in my own home.

They were delighted that I had another tamed beast, and they were intrigued about Duchess and Rob’s new looks. They didn’t ask about Flash Gordon, however…

After dinner, I grabbed my laptop from my room and connected it to my wireless camera. I probably won't use this camera too much since it can be easily hacked. There is a video log of what the camera recorded in the last 24 hours. I found it and watched the security tapes.

I constantly fast-forwarded and didn’t see anything until the very end. Someone shrouded in a black cloak stands in front of my door and messes with the lock. Then circled the house, peeking into the windows.

If they already moved the stuff in the basement before I changed the locks, why are they back? Is this a new person?

I checked the camera and realized I was no longer watching video logs but a live feed. When the records ended, it automatically showed me what was happening now. I instantly get up and grab my coat.

I leave my parents' house from my window and sprint to my home.

~

I have the enforcers dialed in, but I haven’t made the call yet. I walk up to my house and see the front door still closed. Duchess was “holding” my laptop with her tail and watched the security feed while I ran.

[They picked the lock and closed the door behind them.]

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?

[It just happened, there is a delay.]

I thank Duchess and open the door. The house is still dark and empty, so I tell Rob to find the intruder.

Rob and his [Detect Life] instantly spring to action. He pulls out a combat shovel and a gun and runs straight for the basement door.

As soon as I open the door, Rob throws himself down the stairs and starts beating something with his shovel.

“Ouch, oh fuck, the skeleton has a gun!”

I recognize the voice as my neighbor. An unpleasant expression covers my face as I walk down the stairs and turn on the light.

“Hey neighbor, it’s not what it looks like.”

My neighbor is holding his shin as Rob points a gun at him. The neighbor seemed worried about all my tamed beasts staring at him.

“What are you doing in my house. Also, how did you get your legs back?

“...”

He doesn’t answer my questions. Instead, he starts looking around for a way out.

“Do it, Duchess.”

Duchess practically uses all of her spells on him instantly. He falls to the ground holding his head.

“STOP, ill speak, please stop.”

“Go on, or my other beasts will get their fun.”

I hold Flash Gordon back from caving this guy’s skull in. Down boy, not yet.

“I used to use this basement for storage since I had the spare keys. I meant to clear it out before any new owner moved in, but you got the house without notice. I had to sneak in when you were out and move everything.”

”Then why are you here now?”

He stammers for a bit before answering. “I was missing some product and thought maybe I left it down here. If you didn’t change the locks and add new ones to the windows, you wouldn’t even know I was in here.”

“Product?” sounds fishier than Khan. “What do you mean by-product?”

He doesn't answer. He stammers, trying to find the correct words to use in a lie.

I activate my [Prey on the Weak] Title and kick him to the ground. “Answer my question. You are here in MY house, wearing suspicious clothes at midnight. The enforcers won't ask too many questions.”

“Please don’t call the enforcers! I’ll tell you everything.”

“So you weren’t planning on telling me everything in the first place?”

“That's not what I meant!”

He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I make and sell drugs. I did it out of this basement since doing it in my own home would be dumb. I am not a [Apothicary] but a [Drug Dealer].”

There’s a class for that? I guess there is a class for everything.

“Don’t you have a daughter? What about her?”

“She doesn’t exist. I called her Molly, for gods sake. I faked the disability as well so people would trust me due to their empathy. Well, I used to have a daughter, but she ran away at a young age to live with her mother… I don’t know why I am telling you all this, but I feel better. Maybe I can change my ways and become a genuine apothecary. Be somebody that can help the community with medicine.”

[Thisss one can tell that he is lying, master. As you would put it, “a snake knows a snake”]

My little bastard is getting cheeky with my inner thoughts, knowing what I was thinking before I could speak. I agree with Duchess' analysis about this guy. This guy is a genuine scumbag and doesn’t deserve any sympathy.

I quickly activate [Scientific Insight+]

[Scumbag lv25]

A middle-aged man at that low of a level is pathetic. I get behind him and restrain him in a bear hug. I could call the enforcers, but he will probably get off scot-free. Might as well do it the quick and easy way. If I was wrong in my decision, I would repent at my nearest church, but I don’t think that will be necessary.

“W-w-what are yous doing, don’t tell me you swing that way!”

Now, this guy is just fucking with me.

“*whistle* come here, Khan. It's meal time.”

“W-w-what, NOOOO.”

Khan voraciously burrowed into this guy's ear canal and disappeared inside his skull. The man starts to seize as I drop him and step away. It takes Khan about five minutes to reemerge, and something is different about him. Not one Khan came out, but eight.

Name: Khan

Nickname: Exiled

Species: Cloud Guppie F (Unique)

Level 8 560/600

Evolution Requirements Not Met

~

Health Points: 90/90

Mana Points: 65/65

Armor Points: 0

~

Might: 10 > 18

Agilty: 10 > 18

Vigor: 10 > 18

Mind: 5 > 13

Spirt: 5 > 13

Perception: 5 > 13

Is that how Khan’s trait [Wrath of the Skies] works? Every level up, he gets one more “body?” I need to do some testing to see how this ability actually works. But now, it’s time to call the enforcers.