CHAPTER 310: CHAPTER 310 THE SERUM’S EFFECT

"I warned you," the girl said coldly, her voice sharp as she raised the gun and fired without hesitation.

Bam!

The bullet tore through the air and struck Liam’s thigh. He had been just about to move, already reading her body language and preparing to sidestep. But something hit him harder than the bullet itself—a strange, dragging weight that slammed down on his entire body. His limbs felt sluggish. His reaction time dropped. It was like someone had filled his muscles with wet concrete.

Pain exploded through his thigh, raw and immediate, but it wasn’t just the pain that got to him. It was how wrong it felt. His body should’ve dampened the shock, should’ve kicked into high gear to heal or at least stabilize him. But this wasn’t normal. The sharp burning in his leg was far more intense than it should’ve been.

He looked down in disbelief, wincing. Blood soaked through his pants around the entry wound. He didn’t scream, didn’t fall. He just stared at the damage, eyes narrowed, confused by the sensation gripping him. He clenched his jaw. Something was interfering with his body, and whatever it was, it was working.

The girl watched, confused herself. She’d expected him to drop to the ground, clutching his leg, maybe cry out in pain. That was the usual response. But Liam just stood there, as if the pain hadn’t registered, his face frozen in a mix of disbelief and cold calculation.

Her pulse quickened. Her instincts screamed at her—this guy wasn’t normal. He was dangerous, even wounded. She needed to finish this now.

She aimed the gun at his head, finger tightening on the trigger.

But before she could shoot, a hand suddenly clamped down hard on hers, throwing off her aim.

Her eyes widened. "H-how...?"

She didn’t get to finish her question.

POW!

Vanessa’s fist connected with the girl’s face, snapping her head to the side with brutal force. The girl staggered back, dazed. Her grip loosened, and the small vial slipped from her hand and hit the ground, bouncing once before settling on the concrete.

Vanessa didn’t bother following up with another strike. She turned instantly to Liam and rushed to his side.

"Are you alright?! Does it hurt bad?" she asked, crouching beside him.

Liam gritted his teeth, breathing hard through his nose. His face was tight with pain, but his eyes weren’t on her. They were locked on the girl, who was slowly rising to her feet.

"I’m fine," he said with a cold edge in his voice, his tone flat and focused, the words clearly not meant for Vanessa but for the one who shot him.

Vanessa ignored his answer. She was already kneeling next to him, one hand hovering near the wound, eyes scanning the torn fabric and the blood seeping through it.

"You’re not fine," she muttered, frowning deeply. "That wasn’t a regular shot. Something’s wrong."

At the same time, in the old factory, Dickson sat at the set up, eyes glued to the feed.

"Liam," Dickson’s voice came through the comms, tense. "What’s going on? Is the sickness screwing with your healing ability?"

There was no reply from Liam.

Because right then, all eyes were on what happened next.

Vanessa was still bent over Liam’s leg. The girl who had shot him was shaking off the punch, her hand touching her bruised cheek, eyes burning with frustration.

And then Arthur made his move.

No one noticed him at first. He had been in the background. But as the others focused on Liam and the aftermath of the attack, Arthur stepped forward.

He bent down and snatched the fallen serum vial from the floor. His hands moved fast, frantic.

"Arthur, what the hell are you doing?" Vanessa snapped as she noticed him, but it was too late.

He popped the cap, tilted his head back, and poured the entire contents into his mouth.

Everyone froze.

The serum was gone.

Arthur had swallowed every last drop.

Arthur dropped to his knees with a guttural groan.

"Urghhhh..."

The serum had kicked in instantly. His veins bulged across his neck and chest, glowing a deep, unnatural red. His entire body trembled as the transformation took hold. His skin flushed, turning darker by the second, then red hot. His clothes caught fire and disintegrated, curling into ash around him as he screamed again, but this time it wasn’t pain—it was power. Pure, uncontrollable power coursing through him.

Everyone stepped back, eyes fixed on him. Arthur stood up, now fully naked, but his body was no longer human. His flesh looked like molten rock, glowing with streaks of orange and red, like magma running under cracked obsidian. Heat rippled from his body. Every step he took left a smear of fire on the ground behind him.

He walked toward the girl.

She had barely recovered from Vanessa’s punch. Her face still stung, but instinct overrode pain. She scrambled backwards, hands clawing at the ground, trying to push herself away. Her back slammed into the wall. There was nowhere else to go.

Arthur kept walking.

At that exact moment, Liam’s system interface blinked open in the corner of his vision. The message was cold and simple:

[Sickness Status Update: All stats temporarily reduced by 80%.]

Liam clenched his jaw hard.

That explained everything—the delayed reflex, the heaviness in his limbs, and why he hadn’t been able to dodge the earlier bullet. His eyes narrowed.

"First you make me sick, fine. You said I’d need a long nap to recover, I accepted that too," Liam muttered under his breath, staring at the floating interface. "But reducing my stats by eighty percent now? Because of the sickness?"

His eyes burned with frustration.

"That’s where I draw the line."

But he didn’t have time to argue with the system. Not now.

His eyes shifted to Arthur. The fire-drenched monster was raising his arm toward the girl, palm open. Heat shimmered in the air, and flames ignited along his forearm, spiraling up to his hand.

Liam gritted his teeth and whispered, "Twenty percent is enough."

Arthur prepared to unleash the flames.

The girl, cornered and terrified, raised her gun. She aimed straight at Arthur’s chest and pulled the trigger repeatedly.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Click. Click. Click.

The gun clicked on empty.

Smoke rose from the barrel. She opened her eyes, expecting to see Arthur sprawled on the ground or at least recoiling in pain.

But he was still standing. Unmoving.

The bullets had done nothing.

Arthur’s new molten body stood tall, each bullet either having melted on contact or buried harmlessly in the fire-like substance covering his skin. His face twisted into a grin. Flames surged in his palm. He was ready to incinerate her.

But just before the fire could erupt, he was suddenly knocked sideways.

A brutal impact hit him in the neck. His body slammed into the wall with such force that the concrete melted behind him. Lava-like residue sizzled on the wall where his back had hit.

Liam stood in front of him, slightly crouched. His boot, the one he had used to land the kick, was partially melted. The sole had burned off entirely, and steam rose from his foot. His skin was visibly scorched.

He looked down at his leg with a quick wince.

"Great," he muttered, then looked back at Arthur. "How the fuck am I supposed to fight this?"

Arthur started to push himself off the wall, molten hands burning into the surface behind him.

Liam’s mind raced. With his stats reduced and his healing slowed, this was going to be hell. If his system was running at full power, Arthur wouldn’t be a problem. He would have dodged the shot earlier, ended this before the serum even hit the ground. But now he was stuck with only a fraction of his strength and no time to recover.

His foot still sizzled from contact with Arthur’s burning skin.

Arthur growled, eyes glowing bright like burning coals. He stepped forward again, embers falling from his body with every movement.

Liam stood up, still limping slightly, and started walking toward Arthur, who was slowly approaching. His foot still burned, but he didn’t show it. He watched Arthur carefully, reading every movement.

Arthur looked terrifying. His body glowed like lava, and the heat coming off him made the air ripple. But raw power wasn’t everything.

Arthur might have transformed, but he was still new to it. Still clumsy. Still slow.

Liam moved fast. He sprinted forward, then pushed off the ground, rising clean into the air. In a smooth motion, he twisted his body and delivered a sharp kick straight to Arthur’s face.

His foot connected.

This time, he didn’t linger. The moment his boot made contact, he pulled his leg back fast. There was heat, yes, and it still burned, but nothing serious. Just a sting.

Arthur stumbled, his head snapping sideways as the impact threw him off balance.

Liam landed smoothly on his feet and rolled his shoulders.

"You’re heavy and slow," he said casually, watching Arthur regain his footing.

Arthur growled, face twisted with rage. His fists clenched, and a low rumble started deep in his chest. Then fire exploded outward from his body in every direction. A burst of flame and heat slammed into the air around him, causing the ground beneath his feet to crack.

He screamed as the flames consumed him again.

Liam took a step back, shielding his face with one arm. The heat was intense, but manageable at a distance.

"Oh, so you understood?" Liam said with a crooked smile. "Took you long enough."

Arthur’s eyes blazed. He lunged forward, swinging a massive, burning fist straight at Liam’s head.

Liam ducked. The air sizzled above him as Arthur’s punch missed by inches. He didn’t waste time. He slipped to the side and slammed an elbow into Arthur’s ribs. Again, he didn’t linger. The moment he made contact, he was already retreating, avoiding direct skin contact for more than a fraction of a second.

Arthur turned, flames flaring around him, and threw another punch.

Liam slid under it and spun around behind him.

"You’re throwing too wide," Liam said sharply. "You’re strong, but you’re not fighting smart."