The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 38: The Ye Ling

The pile of corpses twitched.

Then it shuddered, a convulsion so violent that bones snapped and flesh tore apart, scattering across the ruined plaza like someone had dropped a flesh grenade.

Jin stepped forward, teeth gritted, his chest heaving.

"Get ready," he muttered, voice rough.

Joon dragged himself to his feet, wiping the sweat from his eyes.

"Are you serious?" he gasped. "We already wiped them out!"

Seul wiped the blood from her nose, her body trembling, but she still raised her hands, ready to crush whatever came next.

But nothing attacked.

The corpse pile didn't attack them.

It reassembled itself.

Bodies snapped together, bones stitching into place like a macabre jigsaw puzzle. Rotting limbs twisted and clicked, forming a grotesque spine, while cracked skulls fused into a single, horrific crown.

The mass of flesh folded and compressed, growing taller, more human-like, until finally —

It stood upright.

A towering figure, over ten feet tall, its body a patchwork of corpses. Its arms were long and jagged, like someone had fused multiple limbs together, and its chest bore a gaping maw, teeth gnashing and grinding as it breathed.

But the worst part?

Its head.

It wasn't just a skull or a hollow face.

It was a human face.

Almost human.

The features were distorted, the skin stretched too tight, and the eyes were pitch black, like it had peered into the void and dragged the abyss back with it.

And then it spoke.

"Interesting," it rasped, voice like gravel scraping against metal.

Seul froze.

"It... talks?" she whispered.

The monster tilted its head, its neck cracking loudly with the motion.

"You killed them all," it said, voice low and thoughtful. "Not a single one of you hesitated."

Its mouth stretched wider, teeth clinking together like chimes in the wind.

"Most humans panic when they see death."

"Most humans freeze when death stares back."

"But you..."

It leaned down, its massive frame looming over them, shadow stretching across the cracked pavement like a blanket of darkness.

Its eyes locked onto Jin.

"...You killed them like it meant nothing."

Jin didn't blink.

He didn't move.

He just tightened his grip on the broken metal rod in his hand, fingers bleeding from how tightly he held it.

"You talk a lot," he muttered. "But you're just another monster."

The creature's chest-mouth curled, almost like it was trying to smile.

"Monster?" it echoed. "That's all you see?"

It lifted one massive hand, flexing its fingers — bones popping as the joints realigned.

"I was human once so I suppose youre right I am a monster."

Seul's breath hitched. "...What?"

The creature's voice dropped, as if it were whispering a secret.

"Yes I am an amalgamation of the people who died here."

It straightened, its head tilting to the side, the black pits of its eyes fixed on Jin.

"I am a Ye Ling."

"A spirit of the dead."

Joon swallowed hard, the color draining from his face.

"What... what does that mean?"

The Ye Ling's jaw split wider, the jagged teeth gleaming in the light.

"It means I am the weight of every life lost here."

"The remnants of every soul that fell in this place."

"I am their fear. Their regret. Their failure."

It took a step forward, looming closer, the air thick with rot.

"And I will not fall as easily as they did."

Its chest expanded, the jagged teeth in its maw grinding together.

"Come, humans."

It lifted its massive arms, fingers unfurling like knives.

"Let me see if you're worthy of surviving."

Jin exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulder, his body screaming in protest.

He didn't back down.

Didn't flinch.

He just adjusted his stance, raising the metal rod in his hand like it was a blade.

"Seul," he muttered. "Lock it down."

Seul wiped the blood from her lip, her legs shaking, but she raised her hand anyway.

"Joon," Jin continued, voice even. "Charge up."

Joon groaned, dragging himself upright, the static crackling weakly in his gloves.

"What about you?" Joon muttered. "You can't exactly draw blood right now."

Jin lifted the rod, adjusting his grip.

"We work together so I don't have to," he said.

His eyes locked onto the Ye Ling.

"Let's kill this bastard."

The Ye Ling tilted its head, watching them with those pitch-black eyes.

"You cannot kill a spirit of death," it rasped, voice vibrating through its cracked chest. "Your victory is a delusion."

Jin shifted his grip on the metal rod, breathing slowly.

Joon rolled his shoulders, gloves crackling faintly.

Seul wiped the blood from her nose, her fingers twitching as her gravity field pulsed.

None of them moved.

They didn't rush.

Didn't panic.

They just waited.

The Ye Ling's face twitched, its expression almost... curious.

"Why don't you run?" it whispered. "Everyone else ran."

It took a slow step forward, bones creaking as its body reformed, skin slowly knitting itself back together.

"Everyone else begged," it continued, voice like a wet rasp. "Why are you still fighting?"

Jin smiled faintly, fingers tightening around the rod.

"Because we're not dead yet." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

The Ye Ling's smile stretched wider.

"Then die."

The monster moved like lightning, closing the gap instantly, claws tearing through the air.

But Jin was already moving.

He sidestepped, the Ye Ling's claws scraping the pavement, and drove the rod into its side without breaking stride.

"Seul, lift everything!" he shouted.

Seul didn't hesitate.

She threw her arms up, her ability rippling outward, and every loose object in the plaza rose into the air.

Metal pipes. Glass shards. Broken signposts.

They floated, circling above like a halo of destruction.

The Ye Ling didn't stop.

It came at Jin faster, swiping lower, trying to gut him —

Jin flipped backward, grabbed a shard of broken railing, and stabbed it into the creature's thigh as he landed.

The Ye Ling didn't flinch.

It kept attacking, moving like a relentless machine, its limbs stretching and twisting, every failed strike reconfiguring into a new angle of attack.

But Jin was faster.

He was already adapting — each dodge, each step, each attack flowing like he'd practiced this a thousand times.

He grabbed more debris as he moved

A rusted pipe — stabbed into the ribs.

A metal pole — driven into the back.

A shattered signpost — jammed into the shoulder.

But it just kept attacking, like a blind predator, obsessed with tearing him apart.

"You're only delaying the inevitable," it growled. "You cannot outlast me."

Jin smirked, wiping blood from his lip.

"Outlast you?,"

"Who said we were trying to do that"

"Joon," Jin called, voice sharp.

Joon was already charging up, the arc shot swelling, the energy between his fingers turning dense and volatile.

"Seul, the alarm!" Jin barked.

Seul twisted her wrist, and a loose brick shot through the air —

SMASH.

It slammed into the fire alarm, and the sprinklers hissed to life, soaking the plaza in a cold, endless downpour.

The Ye Ling paused, black eyes flicking up toward the sprinklers.

Water poured down, drenching its flesh, seeping into every open wound, dripping along the metal rods embedded in its body.

It stared at its hands, watching the water roll down its fingers.

"...What is this?" it whispered.

Jin lifted a hand, pointing directly at the creature's chest.

"Joon. Now"

Joon's grin turned sharp and vicious.

"Gladly."

He fired.

The arc shot tore through the air, a spear of lightning that hit the Ye Ling dead center — and the effect was immediate.

The electricity exploded outward, arcing through the metal rods, crawling through the creature's body like a living current.

The Ye Ling convulsed, its limbs locking up, flesh burning and sizzling as the lightning fried it from the inside out.

The light grew brighter, brighter, until it blinded everything —

And then the creature collapsed.

Its body smoked, its skin peeling and cracking, but it was still moving, twitching on the ground.

"Seul," Jin rasped, voice hoarse. "Drop it."

Seul snapped her fingers.

The floating debris fell like meteors.

Metal beams crashed down, impaling the Ye Ling like spears.

Glass shards rained, slicing through the charred flesh like knives.

Chunks of concrete smashed into its skull, its ribs, its legs.

The creature collapsed fully, bones snapping inward, limbs shattering under the crushing weight of debris.

For a moment, it looked like it might crawl forward —

But Seul twisted her hand, and the gravity doubled.

CRUNCH.

The Ye Ling's body caved in, crushed completely into the pavement, the weight of the fallen debris grinding it into nothing but charred remnants.

Jin lowered his arms, chest rising and falling.

Joon let out a low whistle, flicking the smoke off his gloves.

"I'm not cleaning this up," he muttered.

Seul exhaled, brushing her wet hair out of her face.

"It's over," she said quietly.

Jin didn't respond.

He just stared at the corpse pile, waiting.

One second.

Two.

Three.

The Ye Ling didn't move.

The sprinklers stopped, cutting off with a sharp click, leaving only the sound of dripping water echoing through the plaza.

The team just stood there, the quiet settling over them like a shroud.

Jin lowered his weapon, his eyes locked onto the charred remains of the boss.

It was a mangled heap, its flesh smoked through, the metal rods still sticking out of its body like a macabre sculpture.

Joon wiped soot from his face, collapsing onto a bench.

"I swear," he muttered, "if this thing moves again, I'm burning this place to the ground."

Seul leaned against a broken pillar, her head tilted back, voice barely a murmur.

"It's done," she said.

Jin didn't say anything.

He just watched the body, waiting for some unnatural twitch, some last-second revival — but nothing happened.

The corpse didn't move.

The monster didn't rise.

It was over.

The system chimed.

[Boss Eliminated]

[Calculating Rewards...]

[ERROR]

Jin's muscles tensed.

Joon slowly sat up, rubbing his face with both hands.

"Man, what now?" he groaned.

The system's voice returned — but this time, it was different.

[Congratulations, Players.]

[Your efficiency with a boss was... unexpected.]

The voice echoed through the plaza, carrying a strange reverence, like it was impressed but not necessarily pleased.

[The Ye Ling was designed to test your resilience.]

[It failed.]

Jin's fingers curled around his weapon, his knuckles turning white.

"Failed?" he muttered.

The system laughed, but it wasn't a mocking sound this time.

It was soft. Amused. Almost like a teacher watching students stumble through a lesson they weren't meant to pass so quickly.

[It was too weak.]

[Then again it is simply a fragment.]

[An echo of something far greater.]

Seul swallowed, her voice quiet.

"It seemed pretty powerful," she said.

The system seemed to smile through its words.

[Seemed.]

Jin's heartbeat thudded in his chest.

He stepped closer to the corpse, the burnt flesh crackling beneath his boots, and stared down at the twisted face of the creature.

It almost looked... at peace.

The system's voice lowered, turning almost reverent, like it was reciting scripture.

[Hell is empty.]

[And all the devils are here.]

Joon's face drained of color, his fingers twitching in his lap.

"That's... Shakespeare, right?" he whispered.

Seul's voice was tight.

"Yeah from the Tempest," she muttered.

Jin's stomach dropped as he looked at what the system displayed before them.

[Special Event Unlocked: Trials of the Forgotten.]