Unholy Player Chapter 514 Awakening the Unknown (Part 1)

A persistent, warm radiance washed over Rhys's form, making the surrounding chamber appear dark by comparison. Bit by bit, the lingering shadows on his flesh dissolved until the final blemish vanished completely.

His skin regained a healthy, flawless quality—smooth, pristine, and in better condition than it had ever been.

The light of Grace began to fade, the shimmer thinning as it retracted back toward Adyr. He withdrew his hand, flexing his fingers slowly as if releasing a tension he had carried for days on end.

"You old man made me waste my precious time," he grumbled, letting out a soft chuckle. The mirth remained, though it sounded fatigued, as if it had to struggle through sheer exhaustion to reach the surface.

His scarlet eyes showed signs of strain. Perspiration matted his unruly red hair, with heavy beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Nearly a full week had passed since he began the process of mending Rhys's body. To ensure he could survive the ordeal and reach full recovery, Adyr had pushed his bloodline talent, Grace, to its absolute breaking point. Day after day, he had sacrificed more of his own vitality than he cared to acknowledge.

"Mr. Adyr, you should rest now." Dr. Mara stepped forward with soft footfalls. Concern tempered her voice, which she kept low to avoid shattering the room's delicate silence, as if a single loud noise might cause everything to collapse.

The remaining researchers observed from a distance, staying close to their equipment.

Adyr appeared depleted in a way that was impossible to ignore; the slight shaking in his limbs was a blatant symptom of someone who had exceeded his natural limits.

They were well aware of his nature: a being possessing a body powerful enough to level skyscrapers and resilient enough to survive a nuclear blast.

This was precisely why his current state disturbed them. It felt unnatural, as if something had finally managed to force even a man like him to buckle.

Dr. Mara presented a silver tray holding colorful capsules neatly arranged in containers. Offering it to him, she spoke softly. "Take these pills. They'll help you recover your energy."

Adyr accepted without protest. He took the containers, emptied the capsules into his mouth, and swallowed them whole, not even pausing for a drink of water.

While they lacked the satisfaction of a real meal, they provided the dense, efficient nutrition he required—the kind only laboratory-grade supplements could offer, designed for immediate replenishment.

He suspected that if he relied on normal food to replace the energy he had expended, it would take another week to recover. He lacked both the time and the patience for such a delay.

"Thank you," he remarked, giving a faint smile as he placed the empty vessel back onto the tray.

Dr. Mara offered a polite smile in return. Her gaze then drifted to the monitors displaying Rhys's vitals—steady, rhythmic lines that felt frustratingly incomplete, as they could not reveal the state of his mind.

"Do you think he will succeed?" she inquired.

Rhys appeared physically perfect now. His signs were stable and his wounds were gone, yet he remained trapped in a profound, coma-like slumber upon the table. This stillness made them wonder if his awakening had failed, leaving him lost in a place they couldn't reach.

Adyr gave a heavy shrug, maintaining a calm exterior. "I don't know what he's going through in his head." For the first time, a hint of doubt colored his tone.

He could still perceive the crimson aura condensing above Rhys's unconscious form. Wispy strands coiled in the air like fog, hugging the skin before spiraling upward. Aside from that, there was no motion, no obvious sign of advancement, and no indication that the process was finishing.

Lying there so motionless, Rhys bore a striking resemblance to the Lunari Ancestors. He possessed that same eerie stillness and unreachable sleep. It made Adyr question if failure was certain. If Rhys had slipped into a permanent coma, he would never open his eyes again.

Adyr had attempted to mend his mind using Grace, only to find that the talent's reach stopped at the physical boundary. It could repair the flesh, but it was powerless against the internal battles occurring within the soul.

Consequently, waiting was his only remaining option. Rhys had to reclaim his consciousness through his own strength, whether that took moments or days.

What Adyr failed to realize was that Grace wasn't the only force at work during the healing process.

His secondary bloodline talent, Nihil, had also been active in a silent, invisible capacity.

Because of Nihil, Rhys's mind had been shielded, allowing him to hide from the Scarlet Sea before he was completely consumed—acting like a spectral hand pulling him back from the edge of the abyss.

"I'm taking my leave now. If he awakens, inform me, please," Adyr stated, seeing no further way to assist. He cast one final look at Rhys's face before turning to depart.

He had barely moved when a tiny shift caught his eye.

It began as a sensation. When he turned back, a subtle ripple disturbed the red aura enveloping Rhys's body. The surface vibrated for a fleeting second before smoothing out once more. It didn't seem like something that required much attention.

"Is something wrong?" Dr. Mara asked, noticing his gaze fixated on the patient.

Adyr lingered for a few more seconds. When no further movement occurred, he began to turn as if to dismiss her concern, but the word died in his throat, replaced by a sudden instinct.

"Evacuate the room... Now."

That initial ripple had rapidly transformed into something far more volatile. It surged in quick, rhythmic waves as the aura—which had been condensing—suddenly began to swell outward with explosive force.

The researchers were veterans of high-stakes environments and were always prepared for disaster. Without a single question, they abandoned their instruments and sprinted out of the laboratory immediately.

"Seal the door," Adyr barked, sensing that the aura was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

The heavy laboratory door slammed shut. The glass viewing port was instantly obscured as a thick metal plate descended with a mechanical thud, hermetically sealing the chamber. The light from the hallway was cut off in a single, sharp motion.

This room was specifically designed to contain the monsters they sought to create. It was built with safety as the primary focus, utilizing layers of reinforced materials. In an instant, it transformed from a standard operating theater into a bunker designed to withstand radioactive leaks and massive explosions.

Adyr had no time to consider the foresight of the staff or the room's high-tech defenses. His eyes remained locked on the crimson aura, which continued to intensify and expand, exerting an ever-growing pressure on the air itself.

It was no longer just a visual phenomenon. The aura had gained physical substance, becoming thick enough to touch.

Rhys's body remained unchanged, yet the table beneath him began to groan under an invisible, massive weight, its metal joints screaming in protest.

Then, under the aura's corruptive influence, the metal began to oxidize at an impossible speed, with orange-brown rust spreading across the surface.

The destruction didn't stop there. The surrounding machinery began to fail, one device after another succumbing to the pressure.