[Fantasy] Divine Capital (Book) - 10-12

page views:1 Publication date:2023-05-13

Chapter 8

The guild warehouse was quite large, with rows and rows of shelves piled high with all sorts of weapons. Of course, these weapons seemed to be stored as a strategic reserve; although their quality was quite excellent, they still couldn't compare to the high-level equipment we usually used. There were also many different kinds of healing medicines and supplies. It seemed Balgus had never let his guard down; these things were clearly prepared for a potential guild war.

"So many medicines… doesn't our guild have any specially trained apothecaries…?"

"Yes… Nafisaya is one,"

Xia Xi answered softly. "She learned a lot of support skills for the guild."

In my memory, Nafisaya's combat level was quite low; it turned out she had put all her energy into this.

I heard she was also Balgus and Mono's friend outside; she must have been dragged in to hang out with them…

"What level are you now?"

I asked casually, looking around at the items on the shelves.

"Level seven,"

Xia Xi turned to look at me. "And you?"

I gestured an "eight" to her. Actually, I haven't checked my level in a long time. Level eight was Melfis's assessment of me before entering the Beast Forest, so I don't know how accurate it is.

"So you're not as high a level as me..."

Xia Xi suddenly smiled, then immediately covered her mouth and hid it.

"Smiling more won't hurt. You look much better when you smile than when you have a straight face,"

I said helplessly.

"...You're clearly quite old, yet you say such frivolous things..."

She rolled her eyes at me.

I was stunned. "Hey! Who's quite old! I'm only in my twenties!"

"At least seven or eight years older than me, old man~" She completely disregarded my feelings. This girl!

But she seemed to relax a bit when she was with me. At least I didn't have to see her with a straight face all the time.

"Do I really look that old..."

"No..."

Xia Xi lowered her head to hide her smile.

It's really not easy to have a normal conversation with her like this...

"Are you and Fey a couple?"

She suddenly looked up and asked me a question.

This question was very abrupt. Did she find out something? Or did Fey tell her something?

I thought for a moment and decided it was best not to tell the truth, otherwise Fey would probably be unhappy.

"No. She and I aren't in that kind of relationship,"

I answered, pretending to be firm.

"When you two looked at each other, I felt it wasn't that simple..."

she persisted, I really didn't know why she was suddenly harping on this issue.

"You're overthinking it, we're just trusted partners,"

I could only say.

"Just pretend I didn't ask!"

Xia Xi said and quickly walked inside.

I shrugged, it seemed I had gotten away with it.

We walked to the back of the warehouse, and Xia Xi started picking things out in a corner. I noticed they were items similar to potions, but I didn't know what they were for. If I needed to know, she would tell me; if I didn't need to know, then there was no need to waste time explaining.

Just as we finished getting our things and were about to leave, we suddenly heard laughter. This startled us, because not just anyone could enter this place. Apart from the eight guild officers with management authority, only members with specially authorized time-limited passes were allowed to enter.

Xia Xi stumbled back, her elbow bumping into a bottle. I quickly reached for it, preventing it from shattering on the ground, but the potion inside spilled all over Xia Xi.

I hurriedly reached for something to wipe her clean, but Xia Xi pulled me back and pointed towards the warehouse door.

Xia Xi and I hid behind a shelf and looked over, only to find that it was indeed a guild leader… Pudding and an ordinary guild member, Dolan.

Dolan roughly shoved Pudding onto the table by the door, knocking all the armor and weapons on it to the ground.

“How are you going to clean up this mess…”

Pudding struggled while giggling.

Dolan didn’t give her a chance to finish her sentence; he kissed her forcefully and lifted Pudding’s skirt. Pudding’s white thighs were now exposed to Xia Xi and me.

Ugh, what a mess… and to make matters worse, there was a “high school girl” next to me…

“How many men have you slept with while I was gone?”

Dolan said as he tore at Pudding’s clothes.

“Ah…don’t tear your shirt! There aren’t many~ only two~ Are you jealous?”

Pudding tried to comply with Dolan’s actions while unbuckling his belt.

“Looks like you’re not happy without someone to fuck you!”

Dolan laughed, rubbing Pudding’s breasts with his hands.

“Then will you make me feel good?”

Pudding squeezed Dolan’s waist tightly with her shapely legs, pushing him towards her.

“I’ll fuck you to heaven in a bit, hahaha!”

Dolan pulled off Pudding’s panties and buried his head between her legs.

“Ah ah…oh oh oh oh…tongue…deeper…ah! Right there…so good…haha ah ah…deeper…oh oh…”

Pudding threw her head back, holding Dolan’s head with her hands, lying on the table, trembling with pleasure.

Orange’s sister is really an open woman, actually bringing people to a place like this to cause trouble. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself, but then I heard a slight, rapid breathing sound next to me.

Turning my head, I saw Xia Xi staring blankly in that direction, her face flushed, her chest heaving.

When she noticed me looking at her, she quickly pushed my face away.

Damn it… I wasn't going to do anything to you. I cursed inwardly, half-laughing, half-crying.

Meanwhile, Dolan was already on top of Pudding, his buttocks moving rhythmically. We weren't too far apart, and the sounds of Pudding's sticky fluids squeezing and her moans carried clearly to us.

“Oh… harder… harder… so… so good… ah… Dolan… you… oh… you're the best… you always hit the very end… ahhh… faster… so hot… woo…”

I didn't really like watching this… and didn't want to disturb them, so I turned my back to them and sat down on the floor. Seeing me sit down, Xia Xi quickly covered her skirt and squatted down beside me.

Her action made me see something I shouldn't have seen... white underwear... and a wet patch in the center of the underwear...

I smiled at her, her face turning as red as flames, and she pushed me away, turning my back to her. I couldn't resist her, so I did as she said. She put one hand on my back, seemingly to make sure I wouldn't turn around to look at her again. This girl is so shy; most high school girls should be quite open-minded about this kind of thing, right? In my memory.

"Ahhh! Dolan, you bastard! It hurts! How could you... Ahhh... Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Looking at the other side, Dolan had already pressed Pudding down on the table... and judging from Pudding's protests, it seemed that the place he was moving on had become Pudding's back hole...

"It's not the first time, what are you yelling about..."

Dolan slapped Pudding's butt repeatedly, making her scream.

“You…you didn’t use lubricant again this time! It hurts so much! You bastard…ahhh…”

“You’ve already leaked so much fluid, what do you need lubricant for? And look, you’re leaking even more now, hahaha!”

“Uh…uh…that’s…oh oh…you bastard…ahhh…”

I heard the girl behind me catch her breath, as if she had also realized that the place Dolan was inserting into wasn’t where she had imagined. Because Dolan had already picked Pudding up from behind, Pudding’s labia were covered in white, sticky fluid, and Dolan’s penis was thrusting in and out of her anus.

“How…is this possible…can you do that in a place

like that…” I seemed to hear Xia Xi making a faint buzzing sound behind me.

“You you you…what do you want to do…don’t…ahhh…you…”

Dolan seemed to be not satisfied yet, he took a sword, and then used the smooth part of the scabbard to soak up Pudding’s love fluid and inserted it into her vagina.

"Ugh! It's so full... You're going to kill me! Oh... It's so full... You bastard... You've played me to death... Ahh... So good... Harder... Move it in the front too... Ugh... I'm coming..."

"I knew you liked this, do you want more?"

Dolan slowed down, teasing the helpless Pudding who was being held in the air.

"You bastard... Hurry... Hurry up and fuck me... I can't take it... Ahh... It hurts so much..."

"Come on, let's do it together..."

Dolan licked Pudding's face, and then the two kissed, saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths. The thrusting at the point of connection between their lower bodies became even more ferocious, and the fluid flowing from Pudding's vagina had already soaked a large area of the floor.

"I'm coming... I'm coming! Harder... Don't stop... Don't stop! Ohhhhhhhh! Mmm... Ahhhhhhh!"

Pudding screamed and trembled all over, while Dolan also began to breathe heavily, his thighs shaking constantly. He slowly put Pudding back on the table, and then pulled out his penis. A thick stream of semen flowed from Pudding's buttocks. Pudding lay on the table, panting, continuing to kiss Dolan.

"Hmm..."

At that moment, the girl's hand, which was on my back, suddenly gripped my clothes tightly, and a slight trembling sound came from her nose. Could it be that this guy...? My lower body involuntarily hardened.

I turned around and saw Xia Xi squatting on the ground, her hand inside her underwear, her eyes half-closed, her face flushed crimson. Her underwear was completely soaked, and a large amount of clear liquid flowed down her thighs. She looked so alluring, especially in this semi-public place...

Xia Xi looked up at me with hazy eyes, then suddenly pounced on me and hugged me, burying her head in my chest. A girlish scent mixed with spring fever enveloped me. I tried to struggle, but realized that if I really tried to break free, the two people over there would definitely notice us, and then things would get even more complicated.

I glanced over there and saw Pudding and Dolan cleaning up the mess they'd made while joking around. Luckily, they weren't looking our way, or they might have actually seen us.

Suddenly, I felt a chill down my spine. Xia Xi had unzipped my pants, and my hard penis sprang out, almost slapping her cheek.

"Hey…you…"

I tried to protest in a low voice. But she seemed to know I wouldn't dare move, and she stuck out her tongue and licked the head of my penis hard.

The sudden, intense stimulation made me grimace and almost cry out. The black-haired girl's tongue was frighteningly nimble, constantly exploring every crevice of my penis; the unparalleled softness felt like heaven.

My entire penis was dripping wet from her licking, her face was flushed, her eyes seemed to be brimming with tears, and her lower body rubbed against me, almost wetting my trouser legs. Through her damp panties, I could clearly see a pink slit. My instinct was to thrust my engorged member inside her, to ravage her until she cried out in pain and begged for mercy.

Xia Xi opened her mouth and swallowed my glans, sucking on it mouthful by mouthful, her tongue teasing the urethra. I almost ejaculated, quickly pressing her head down to stop her.

Unable to move her head, she simply sucked on half of my penis like a drink.

The intense suction and stimulation made my teeth chatter, forcing me to release her head.

Now, she swallowed my penis even more brazenly. I was helpless; it was just too good. It had been a long time since I'd received oral sex. I always felt prostitutes weren't clean, so I didn't like them doing it. But now, the one on top of me, forcefully sucking on my penis, was an incredibly pure young girl. It was simply irresistible.

But I hadn't forgotten Fey, and doing this now would be a betrayal of her. I had no choice but to thrust my penis in forcefully, hitting Xia Xi's throat squarely. She immediately opened her mouth and gagged.

I quickly pulled my wet penis out of her mouth.

I didn't know why she would suddenly abandon her composure and do this to me... Maybe what had just happened was too stimulating for her... or...

My gaze fell on the spilled medicine bottle next to me... Damn it... that was... an aphrodisiac! Why would our guild keep this kind of stuff in the warehouse! Who has such a perverse sense of humor! Now

it was clear why Xia Xi had collapsed. Judging from her appearance, she seemed to lack sexual experience, and in her dazed state, she would be easily affected by the drug.

Let me do a good deed. If she went out like this, she would be too ashamed to face anyone. I wrapped one arm around her arms and body from behind, and then reached down to her genitals with the other hand.

My fingertips slipped into Xia Xi's vagina, and she

cried out, "Ugh..." Luckily, Pudding and Dolan had already finished cleaning up and left, otherwise this would have been enough to finish us off.

I planned to use my fingers to give her a good orgasm and then bring her back to her senses. But when I put my fingers in, I discovered that this woman was also a virgin, just like Fey...

Xia Xi's body writhed restlessly in my arms, but my mind was a bit of a mess. I always felt that girls with that kind of oral skills shouldn't still be virgins, but I had actually encountered one who had never been deflowered... I didn't know if it was lucky or unlucky, I just hoped that she wouldn't cling to me after she came to her senses.

Since Xia Xi was still a virgin, I couldn't do anything too outrageous to her vagina, nor could I probe too deeply. And simply stimulating her labia was a bit troublesome... I complained inwardly as I started pinching and pressing Xia Xi's clitoris with my fingers, constantly stimulating her with vibrations.

"Ugh... Oh... Waaaaah... Ugh... Let me pee... Ahhh!"

"Just enjoy your orgasm, little virgin,"

I said helplessly in her ear, then quickened my pace.

Xia Xi let out even more rapid cries, sounding like she was about to suffocate. A few seconds later, her whole body trembled, and two small streams of sticky vaginal fluid spurted from her tightly closed labia.

I really wanted to give her a kiss, because her expression was just too adorable. But I held back; even a kiss without love wasn't something I wanted to give to a woman other than Fey.

I held her tightly, hoping to make her feel safer in the afterglow of her orgasm. Xia Xi's trembling slowly stopped; she breathed heavily, as if she had just recovered from suffocation.

It was time to leave. My penis was still painfully hard, but I couldn't relieve myself here…

“It's the medication's fault. I won't look down on you because of it, so don't worry, we'll pretend this never happened. We'll leave tomorrow morning, I'm leaving now.”

I said this in a very serious and earnest voice in her ear, then let her lie down on her side on the floor and left.

************

I scanned the hallway, feeling hot all over, then glanced at the kitchen, but didn't see Fey. So I ran to the dormitory area and knocked on her door.

“Who is it?”

She was inside, and it seemed the soundproofing system wasn't on.

“Fey…”

I answered.

Fey opened the door, “Oh, it's Tanlang, what's up?”

she said, pretending to be serious.

I then fiercely kissed her on the lips and pushed her into the room.

"Waaah... Waaah..."

Fey finally managed to pull my tongue out of her mouth. "No... no... close the door first..."

Fey struggled out of my arms in a slight panic to close the door. Fortunately, no one had passed by in the hallway when the scene unfolded. I didn't let her go; instead, I slammed her against the door and began kissing her wildly.

"Mmm! Mmm... Waaah... Mmm..."

Fey was breathless from my frenzied kisses, her tongue frantically trying to escape.

I frightened her... She was like a startled fawn trying to escape this greedy wolf... But right now, all I wanted to do was devour her, leaving not a bone. I had been ravenously tempted by this tender bait for a long time.

I began to strip off her clothes, one by one, and accidentally tore one of her shoulder straps.

"...Greedy wolf..."

Fey suddenly let out a soft, sorrowful sound. The sound instantly cooled my frenzy. She seemed to be saying… “Please don’t bully me like this…”

I stopped what I was doing and gave her a gentle kiss again. Her trembling with fear stopped, slowly transforming into physical excitement.

Our tongues intertwined lasciviously on our lips, and then I pulled her close, Fey forced to stick out her tongue in submission to my plunder.

I savored it for a full minute before releasing her. Fey cupped my face, her clothes tattered, and looked into my eyes softly, saying,

“Just now… you really scared me…”

“…I’m sorry…”

Fey shook her head, her face flushed, “…I’m yours…you can do whatever you want…I…I believe in the tenderness in your heart…”

“Right now I only want you…”

“Then take me…”

Fey looked at me with hazy eyes, her body trembling even more violently, revealing an expression of submissive acceptance, like a lamb to the slaughter.

It was this expression that reignited the frenzy within me. I abruptly turned her back to me and pressed her hands against the door. Then, like a wolf, I licked and bit her neck, leaving two bloody teeth marks.

"...Ahhh!..."

Fey's body was pressed tightly against the rough door panel, her soft breasts squeezed into a shameful shape.

"...No...don't bite...bite like that...they'll all find out..."

Fey pleaded, but it was too late.

Under my brutal violation, Fey's lower body was already incredibly slippery. I don't know if she inherently liked my roughness, or if she was just aroused and became wet like this...

"Ahhh..."

she cried out long as I thrust all the way in. I pounded into her from behind, making her door slam slightly. The girl's delicate body was lifted up with each thrust, as if she couldn't bear it.

"...Please be gentle...it still hurts down there...waaaah..."

Fey turned her head and pleaded.

I suppressed my desire and slowed down. The girl's slightly painful moans lessened, replaced by helpless groans from deep within her throat.

"Ah... um... ahh... so hot... how... ahh... can it be so hard... ohh... don't stir it... too... ohh!"

Through the door, I heard people chatting as they passed by Fey's door. Mischievously, I suddenly increased my speed, thrusting relentlessly into Fey's deepest recesses like a pile driver.

"Ah!"

Fey screamed as she was stabbed, then quickly bit her hand. Her body heaved as I fucked her, her face flushed red, her eyes brimming with tears, yet she dared not utter a sound.

Outside the door, guild members moved about, while inside the thin wooden door, Rayout's goddess trembled uncontrollably as I ravaged her. Under this stimulation, Fey's entire body tensed, her vagina contracting forcefully, her clitoris trembling wildly, almost causing me to ejaculate immediately. I quickly stopped, lest I surrender.

After I stopped attacking, Fey's body collapsed, exhausted. Her hands were firmly pressed against the wall, her body and lower body almost at a ninety-degree angle, her back forming a waning crescent moon arc.

"I can't... Greedy Wolf... I really can't... We... Ah... Let's go to the bed... Please..."

Fey twisted her body, looking up at me pitifully.

I grabbed her legs and lifted her up abruptly, my lower body firmly inside her, striding towards the bedroom.

"No... No! This position... It's so embarrassing..."

Fey cried, covering her face.

I threw the girl onto the bed, and before she could struggle to turn over, I pressed myself against her again, thrusting my penis deep into her petals.

As if to punish her resistance, I thrust into her wildly a full two hundred times. The first time we made love, I was afraid of hurting her, so it wasn't this intense; this time, it felt more like making up for the taste I hadn't experienced before.

The girl, who was experiencing sex for the first time, groaned repeatedly as the simple, unskilled movements caused her vaginal muscles to tremble and a torrent of vaginal fluid to splatter out.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Too...too hard! It's going to break! Ahh! So strong...too fast! In my stomach...mmm! Uhh..."

Because it was doggy style, my penis went in even deeper than the first time. Under the high-speed and powerful attack, the girl's flower gradually opened wide. I didn't notice and suddenly thrust into her uterus. Fey's body jerked upwards, her mouth wide open, but she couldn't make a sound.

I only felt my glans suddenly being enveloped by something huge and soft, so tender that it seemed like it would be crushed if I moved.

"Stomach! Uhhh...it's inside...my stomach...Waaah! How...uhhh...how could it be so...oh oh!...so deep...Greedy Wolf...I...uhhh...my stomach hurts..."

"Does it feel good..."

I bit her earlobe.

"Lower...uhhh...lower body...it's so numb...ahhh...I can't move...waaah...but...I like it so much..."

Fey's whole body trembled because of the battle between two completely contradictory feelings of pain and pleasure, like a small sailboat in a storm.

“The second round is about to begin.”

I smiled, the rest I had just taken had restored some of my strength.

“No! No… let me… turn around… I want to hug you… please…”

Fey said, trembling.

With a gentle heart, I turned her over. My penis spun inside her womb, making me feel as if I were about to crush that incredibly tender palace. Fey was completely unable to move; her eyes kept rolling upwards, almost losing her mind from the intense stimulation.

I lifted the girl onto my lap and continued to explore her body. Fey lay weakly on my shoulder, soaking wet.

“This position, it’s your turn to move.”

I smiled and slapped Fey’s little bottom. Fey

screamed, “Ah!” and her vaginal canal tightened again, making me tremble.

The girl’s hair was wet with sweat. She bit her lip and held onto my shoulder, symbolically moving a couple of times, then had no more strength left.

“…I…I’m…so useless…”

Fey murmured, “My body…can’t move…”

“Then I’m coming?”

“Mmm…”

She bit her lip and nodded, “Just…be gentle, okay…so heavy, I…will…”

“Don’t you like it?”

“I like it…but I don’t want to always be first…”

I ruffled her hair a couple of times, then kissed her lips, holding her tenderly in my arms and moving with her.

The girl’s sensitive body was gradually pushed to orgasm by me, she let out a blissful moan, and then went limp in my arms.

Just then, there was a knock on her door. Fey’s body twitched instinctively, and she gasped for breath.

“Fey, I heard you in there…are you alright?”

Fronburn’s voice.

This girl actually forgot to turn on the soundproofing system…

“I’m fine…just about to sleep…”

Fey’s little hole trembled again when she answered Fronburn outside the door with a serious expression, and even more love juice gushed out. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but want to tease the cute girl a little more.

“I have something to tell you about the mission. Can we come in?”

I turned the limp girl around again, so her back was to me, while her front and her soaking wet vulva faced the door. Fey’s breathing quickened, and her hand instinctively grabbed my arm.

But I didn’t let her off so easily; I continued thrusting, my free hand gently squeezing her clitoris.

Fey turned her face and looked at me with a mournful gaze, while I just lewdly licked her lips and increased my speed.

“Ah…ah…ah…”

Fey couldn’t help but let out a soft moan. She had to grab my fingers that were ravaging her clitoris with one hand and cover her mouth tightly with the other.

“Fey? Open the door!”

Under the powerful thrusts and intense stimulation, Fey’s hands flared up and down, as if trying to stop me, but she couldn’t, and had to cover her mouth again. “

Waaah…uhhh…hmm ... Outside the door were men she had rejected countless times who admired her, while inside, a scene of utter debauchery unfolded. Fey and I both experienced a terrifying pleasure from this stark contrast. The girl's clitoris tightened wildly with this pleasure, a powerful suction pulling me to my climax. After dozens of thrusts, I bit her neck and ejaculated inside her. The girl's eyes widened, and she tried to scream. I quickly covered her mouth with my hand, silencing her moans. Her body convulsed, and her vaginal fluids continuously flowed from her labia. Although I had ejaculated, my penis strangely didn't soften. I couldn't resist thrusting into Fey's vagina several more times, stimulating her awake. "...I'm asleep...I'm already asleep...we'll talk about it tomorrow..." Fey managed to utter these words before drifting back to sleep. She looked so adorable… I carried her step by step into the bathroom… As the warm water gently enveloped her, Fey gradually woke up. She looked at me holding her, then bit my lip. “You’re so mean… When others are outside, you bully me like that… Waaah…” “But you seem to enjoy it, don’t you?” I laughed, “Whenever you talk to someone outside, your lower body gets so tight~” Fey lowered her head: “…So you…think…I’m not tight enough down there normally…” “Of course not…Every time I first go in, it always hurts for a while! You’re overthinking it…my Fey!” I held her and kept pecking at her lips, finally dispelling her concerns. This girl always seems to care more about strange things…Is it that she’s just too inexperienced when it comes to sex…? Fey reached out and hugged my neck, starting to whine, “I really want to go on a mission with you…You’ll be gone for a long time, I miss you so much…” “You’re already thinking about me before you even leave?” I tapped her nose with my finger. "Mmm...I've wanted it so much...really..." Fey confessed earnestly, as if afraid I wouldn't sense the deep longing in her heart. I kissed her, she kissed me back, and that resulted in us making love tirelessly many times that night, until she never woke up again. The thought of leaving her filled me with emptiness. When the sun rose, my lower body was still tightly held inside her, unwilling to let go. Xia Xi and I set off, while Fey went to carry out another mission with her companions. We parted ways, and I didn't know when I would experience her tenderness again.

Xia Xi was always quiet, and after what happened in the warehouse, she seemed a little more wary of me, as if I would violate her. God knows, she violated me first, though I wasn't particularly annoyed.

Dreams' headquarters and Ryugu City were on the same continent, which was good; at least we didn't need to take a ship. Seagoing vessels were expensive and took a long time, and I get seasick…

“What are your thoughts on this mission?”

I initiated a conversation with Xia Xi, hoping to break the awkward silence.

“To confirm Blackhis's fate, we either need to look for clues in their internal medical facility… or check if he's still in the department he belongs to. Finally, we can capture someone with relevant information and interrogate them.”

Xia Xi said coldly.

Melfis had told me that Blackhis belonged to Dreams' Third Assassin Group. I didn't think that was a place we could easily infiltrate… Besides, regarding her last point about interrogating people… I felt that anyone with that kind of information must be someone of considerable status within Dreams, and it would be difficult for us to capture them alive.

I voiced my concerns, and Xia Xi gave me a disapproving look.

"That's why Balgus sent me with you. Just because you can't do something doesn't mean I can't..."

I raised my hands in surrender. If this conversation continued, we'd probably end up arguing. Arguing with a girl much younger than myself wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

"Am I really that annoying? Giving me a nice look once in a while shouldn't be that hard, right?"

I muttered under my breath.

Xia Xi turned and glared at me: "You did that...that kind of thing to me and...you expect me to smile at you?!"

"Please, I didn't rape you. Besides, you pounced on me first."

I said, spreading my hands.

"You...you...I was under a drug, couldn't you have dodged? A man isn't even as strong as me? I don't believe it!"

"If I struggled, Pudding and the others would definitely have noticed. Do you want them to see you like that? I don't mind."

I said aggressively.

"Then...then what happened down there! I've never done it with anyone before!"

She was red-faced and tried to argue with me.

"I gave you a good time, and you haven't even thanked me yet. If I'd known you were planning to leave the warehouse smeared with your love juices, I wouldn't have done all that."

I was a little angry. I didn't get any advantage, but I ended up covered in filth. Even the most good-tempered person wouldn't be indifferent.

Xia Xi opened her mouth, too angry to speak. She simply drew her knife and slashed at me.

"You..."

I was about to speak but immediately shut my mouth, drawing my weapon and parrying three of her vertical slashes.

This woman actually seemed to have increased her energy and wanted to teach me a lesson. I had no choice but to activate my combat mode and fight her.

Her attack power was considerable, comparable to that of a male warrior, and coupled with her small stature, her attack speed was extremely high.

I didn't intend to fight her at all, so I was always on the defensive. Xia Xi easily found openings in my defense and directly slashed at my protective shield. The energy shield buzzed, seemingly unable to hold for long.

I was forced to retreat repeatedly, but she relentlessly pursued me, her knife flashing wildly in her hands.

I'd never seen such fluid swordsmanship. She frequently shifted her grip on the sword during the gaps in her attacks, and every time she switched from a forehand to a backhand, I couldn't keep up with her moves. My energy shield was guaranteed to be slashed hard.

This was not only incredibly humiliating, but it also made me feel deeply threatened. If she accidentally killed me, it would be utterly ridiculous. I suddenly unleashed a burst of energy, blasting her away.

"Enough! Do you really want to fight?!"

I yelled at her.

"Hmph!"

She glared at me, her face flushed, and uttered a sound filled with negativity.

Just then, several people suddenly emerged from the nearby woods. I'd been so focused on dealing with Xia Xi's attacks that I hadn't noticed anyone approaching—a huge oversight.

"Beautiful lady, need any help?"

the leader, a man carrying a large axe, said to Xia Xi with a smirk.

Behind him were three others, all looking at us with extremely flippant eyes. My instinct told me these people weren't high-level; a cautious warrior wouldn't be so casual.

Xia Xi glanced at them, then shook her head. "It's none of your business."

The axe-wielding man laughed twice. "Seeing a beautiful woman being bullied, you really can't just stand by and do nothing. We'll take care of this kid for you, how about you come have a few drinks with us?"

"Easy for you to say, you can try."

I said in a deep voice. From the way they talked about me, I had no intention of letting them leave this place so easily. Some people can ignore the humiliation they receive, but I can't.

"Oh? You're quite confident in yourself~ Let me tell you, I'm an A-level warrior. If you know what's good for you, just leave quietly, I won't bother with you!"

the guy said arrogantly.

Xia Xi looked at them, then sighed. "Like you said, if you know what's good for you, just leave, don't go and die for nothing."

Hearing Xia Xi's words, the smile on the axe-wielding man's face disappeared, and the way he and his accomplices looked at me changed. When they watched us fight in the forest, we weren't really fighting seriously; the energy levels we used weren't even A-level, so he thought he could easily defeat us.

But they were too naive.

"Apologize, and I'll let you go,"

I said, gripping my sword.

"...You...you're trying to trick me..."

His voice lost its confidence.

"Whether it's a trick or not, you can try it yourself, but I don't have the patience to wait for you. I'll give you ten seconds to consider,"

I said.

Ten seconds later, these guys apologized and left. They were smart enough; otherwise, they would definitely be dead here today. I don't have the habit of leaving survivors in battle.

I know these kinds of guys well; in lower-level worlds, they always think they're above the law. Indeed, in [Divine Capital], professional warriors make up less than one in a thousand, and among professional warriors, those above A-level are even fewer.

If he were a real warrior, he wouldn't flaunt his rank; he would speak to me with his sword.

I watched them walk away quickly, then looked at Xia Xi: "If you still want to fight, I'm ready. What do you say?"

The girl bit her lip, looked at me for a few seconds, then sheathed her sword, turned around, and continued on her way.

I shook my head helplessly, then withdrew my energy and followed.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Occasionally using energy to fly, our speed wasn't slow. We stayed in the town closest to Dugard City, where Dreams Castle was located, after a whole day.

Xia Xi seemed to log out of the game after checking into the inn, while I sat alone in the tavern, bored, to satisfy my hunger.

I had only eaten half when I received a system warning message.

"A monster horde attack?"

I frowned. "Why would something like this happen at a time like this..."

The monsters are all system-generated, and such organized, large-scale attacks on human towns are rare.

The system usually sets a six-hour limit to restrict game characters from logging out. Only capital cities are targets of monster hordes, but when such system missions occur, surrounding villages and towns are not spared.

This time, the monster horde's attack is clearly aimed at Dugard City, and it will arrive in two days. If so, Dugard City will be crowded with warriors coming to defend against the monster horde, earning bounties and hunting rare materials.

Perhaps our mission will be much easier this time, since it's hard for anyone to notice our small movements in the chaos.

I checked the monsters' levels again; most were between H and A. While there were quite a few A-rank and above monsters, they generally didn't gather together, and could usually be defeated one by one.

I wasn't particularly interested in hunting these monsters; completing the mission smoothly was enough for me.

When the monsters launch their full-scale attack, Dugard City will surely descend into chaos, as the influx of idle mercenaries and combat-leveled residents will flock to the battle like it's a festival. That's human nature; when people are in a group, their courage grows, and they always feel that with so many people dying, they're the only ones who will be safe.

Perhaps this only proves that humans are social animals. Someone as solitary as me should probably be eliminated, I thought to myself with a self-deprecating laugh.

The people in the tavern were in complete disarray when they received the system warning, many screaming hysterically. Actually, they had no reason to be afraid; the system had given them ample time to log out, and I believed that players using Level 0 neural simulation should be able to save their lives in this situation.

However, different people certainly have different thoughts. To me, their concern was merely an insignificant account, while to them, it was the entirety of the game.

Just then, I noticed someone standing at the tavern entrance, looking inside, seemingly hesitant to enter. Few people noticed this figure, but I, being extremely bored, spotted it.

It was a woman. The tavern was dimly lit, and I couldn't see her face clearly, only her white hair. Some people with a morbid sense of humor like to dye their hair white, which isn't unusual in games, but… she had two horns on her head.

When did [Shen Du] add other races to its character pool? This intrigued me. When I first created my character, only humans were available, and this woman's character was definitely not human. Small, curved gray horns, pointed ears, and the white hair probably wasn't dyed later…

I was curious, so I stood up and walked over to see what the new race's characteristics were. The woman's figure gradually became clearer in my vision. I noticed she had a very beautiful face, young, with red pupils and skin that seemed to have a faint, almost imperceptible purple hue.

The only thing that made me frown was that she was only wearing a tattered burlap sack or something similar. Based on my experience… she probably wasn't wearing anything underneath…

I stopped, not approaching her any further, because seeing her like this gave me a very strange and incongruous feeling. The girl's eyes were empty, completely unreadable, as if you could be sucked in at any moment.

When I came to my senses, she had already brushed past me and entered the tavern. I'm not good at striking up conversations, but at that moment I really wanted to ask her who she was. Before I

could even act on that thought, I clearly felt the ground tremble. When I looked outside, I was drenched in cold sweat.

The monster horde had arrived… a vast, dark mass of monsters had appeared on the horizon.

Everyone heard the roar of the monsters running and the hissing erupting from their throats.

I thought they would appear in two days, but they'd arrived so close to Dugard City!

They gave ordinary players no chance to take refuge. This level of attack could easily destroy a small town like this; the people in the town couldn't possibly defend it. Fortunately, the system-generated houses wouldn't be damaged by these monsters, so hiding in public facilities would save our lives.

The monster horde wouldn't linger; they were just passing through unless someone stopped to attack them. If it weren't for this design, every monster wave would lead to a massive number of players deleting their accounts, and the game would quickly become deserted.

It's not that I wasn't afraid. If I got caught in a monster wave of this magnitude, my chances of survival would be slim, and unlike most people here, if I died, the game would truly be over. Although the majority of these monsters were low-level, their sheer numbers were staggering. Even if I could kill hundreds, my stamina and energy would eventually run out.

To truly resist, I would need to organize an effective defensive line and rotate shifts in defense.

This was completely impossible in this town; perhaps only Dugard City could manage it.

So I decided to stay indoors until the monster wave passed.

Many townspeople had flooded into the tavern, making it incredibly crowded. I shoved aside the people jostling me, annoyed, and walked towards the horned girl in the corner. Although she looked and dressed strangely, everyone's attention was focused on the monsters, so no one noticed her.

When I walked up to her, I saw her shamelessly stealing food from the plate of the person next to her, completely unfazed. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hungry?"

I asked.

The horned girl glanced at me but didn't speak, her mouth full of other people's fries; the unfortunate guy next to her hadn't even realized his plate was empty.

"Boss, two hamburgers, please,"

I said to the NPC behind the counter.

"What are you thinking about at a time like this..."

the guy replied. It seemed the tavern owner wasn't an AI, but a service "battery."

However, he didn't hesitate and quickly brought the food.

I placed the hamburger in front of the horned girl. "It's on me, eat up. In exchange, I want to ask you a few questions."

"What questions?"

The girl swallowed hard, looking at the hamburger without turning her gaze to me.

“That horn on your head is interesting. Is it a decoration or a new species?”

“It just grew naturally; I was born this way.”

The girl said, then picked up her hamburger and started eating.

“Born like this? You mean you have horns on your head outside?”

I was surprised by this answer.

“Ugh? What outside?”

The girl mumbled indistinctly while chewing her hamburger.

Just as I was about to ask another question, the horde of monsters arrived in town. The once noisy tavern fell silent instantly, and a large group of people seemed frozen in fear. The dark, menacing monsters roared and charged through the windows in droves, rattling the tables and dishes in the tavern. The sudden oppressive atmosphere made everyone hold their breath; no one dared to make a sound.

Only the horned girl next to me was still happily munching on her hamburger. Seeing this, I even forgot my fear and just wanted to laugh.

Her horns were so interesting that I couldn't resist reaching out to touch them. But the moment I reached out, the girl grabbed my wrist. I hadn't expected her grip to be so strong; it hurt.

"You brat… don't push your luck…"

she glared at me with murderous intent, but the food she was chewing made the murderous aura seem completely out of place.

“You’re eating what I bought, shouldn’t you be a little more polite?”

I forced a smile, enduring the pain in my wrist.

“You think you can just touch anything like that! Try touching a human woman’s breasts!”

She was surprisingly into her role… even using “humans”… I shrugged and pulled my hand away.

The two hamburgers disappeared quickly. After finishing one, she secretly tried to squeeze towards the other person’s plate with food.

I was exasperated. “How long has it been since you ate? You have quite the appetite…”

“It’s none of your business.”

She glared at me, then picked up a cherry tomato from the plate and put it in her mouth.

This time, she wasn’t so lucky. The owner of the plate turned and glared at her, giving her a look that said, “Are you crazy?” But this girl was completely oblivious, continuing to steal food under the other person’s gaze.

“Are you fucking sick?”

The man slapped her hand away. The girl let out a soft “Ah!” and took a step back, clutching her hand.

Everyone around her stared at her, unable to look away. After all, she was only wearing a tattered piece of burlap, and from the side, it was obvious she wasn't wearing any underwear. Her round, small buttocks were faintly visible beneath the burlap, and her pink skin looked like a delicious cake.

"Little girl, dressed like that, you must have just been sold outside, right?"

a soldier-looking guy behind her laughed, reaching out to touch her buttocks.

A flash of light, followed by a large spurt of blood from her severed neck towards the ceiling. The guy's head flew several meters, crashing into another guy's plate, where he screamed.

Blood landed on my face, and I finally realized what had happened. A sharp weapon suddenly appeared in the woman's hand, easily severing the unsuspecting guy's head without a word.

I felt a chill run down my spine. If I had actually touched that guy's horn, would I have been killed like that too?

The soldier's two companions roared, drawing their weapons and slashing at the girl. People around screamed and scattered, tables and chairs crashing to the ground.

I watched helplessly as the girl's hands transformed into two sharp, skeletal claws in an instant, then with a casual swing, the protective shields of the two warriors were easily shattered, their bodies sliced into bloody, mangled pieces. Several innocent bystanders were also caught in the attack, clutching their wounds and falling heavily to the ground, screaming in agony.

The floor was stained crimson; if I hadn't quickly erected a protective shield, that girl's attack would probably have swept away one of my hands… ( Chapter 10,

April 19th ) The girl's lower body was badly torn, each step causing immense pain. She gritted her teeth, and I struggled to support her, barely managing to reach the inn. Seeing the message Xia Xi had left on the pillar, I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. The code meant to meet at the agreed-upon location outside the city, indicating she hadn't been captured by the enemy. This ninja is truly something else; she managed to escape even in that situation… “There are monsters outside the city; we have to go by water,” I told the girl. The girl shook her head. “No, we’ll go through the side gate. I’ll make the monsters rush to the main gate to attack…” “You…” I really wanted to ask her how she did it, but I knew it wasn’t the right time yet. After another round of running, the girl was completely exhausted, and I carried her out of the city. I believed that if we had been any later, Dreams would have sent people to guard all the entrances and exits of Dugard City. After all, it had taken a lot of time just to escape from their guild castle, and Dugard City was simply too vast. After the immediate danger was over, I put the girl down and lay on the ground, breathing heavily on the scarce air. The girl curled up, wrapped herself completely in her robe, and began wiping away her tears. “Are you alright?” I turned to look at her. The girl shook her head. "Why did you save me?" "Because I couldn't stand what they were doing, and I also wanted to ask you some questions." "I won't answer you." "Hey, you have no gratitude at all for being saved!" I said, annoyed. "You can't prove you're not with them... pretending to save me and then trying to extract information... I won't fall for that so easily." I stared at her, speechless for a long time, then had to admit she had a point. "I really can't prove it... so if you can't answer, then don't answer, okay?" "One question at a time... you ask, then I ask," she said. That sounded fair enough. "What's your name?" I asked. "Asha... what's your name?" "Greedy Wolf." This was the first time I met Asha, and there was nothing romantic or beautiful about it. I, a spy, had fled from the enemy's city in a sorry state, while she had just been gang-raped by a group of beasts, her body and mind aching. But long afterward, whenever I thought back to that first meeting, I always felt fortunate to have met this girl. Because the woman who truly changed the world I saw wasn't Elegy, not Fey, not Xia Xi, but her. "Asha, do you know the name Elegy? Or Runshian, or Shadow Eater? Any one of them." I asked impatiently. The girl looked at me for a moment, then nodded. "You know them? Who are they? Where are they now!" Asa looked at me quietly, and then I realized I'd asked too many questions. "Besides your name, I have nothing else to know. This extra answer is a thank you for saving me." She said this, and then I suddenly felt the ground beneath my feet tremble. Three enormous magical beasts emerged from the darkness behind Asa's, one of them arching its body and gently scooping the girl into its hands.

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

I called out urgently to her retreating figure, but this didn't stop her and her magical beast from slowly disappearing into the night.

I stood there pondering for a long time, then dragged my unwilling steps toward the rendezvous point.

Without saying goodbye, without thanking me, she simply vanished before my eyes. Watching Asaga leave, a very certain thought suddenly arose in my mind: we would definitely meet again.

The rendezvous point wasn't far; I arrived in just twenty minutes.

"You're finally here! I thought you'd been captured!"

Xia Xi exclaimed, stamping her foot as she saw me approaching.

"I'm quite surprised that you managed to break free in that situation."

I wasn't flattering her.

The two people talking in the room were definitely among the top figures in the Dreams assassin group; otherwise, they couldn't possibly know so much classified information. Xia Xi's ability to escape from two high-ranking warriors and then break free from the entire castle's encirclement was nothing short of miraculous.

"Unfortunately, I didn't get any intelligence in the end..."

Xia Xi said regretfully.

I shook my head. "Blackhis is still alive. I heard someone calling him."

Xia Xi was silent for a moment. "Is it good news or bad news?"

It seemed that Balgus hadn't told her what was hidden behind this mission. Since Balgus wasn't telling her, he must have his concerns and plans, so I should say as little as possible.

"Let's leave this to Balgus to decide."

After saying this, I started my journey home.

This infiltration had yielded a lot of invaluable information and intelligence. If I could find what was hidden beneath these keywords, many of my doubts would probably be resolved. At least, I needed to know which direction this inner obsession should point. The

Shadow Eaters mercenary group of Runecia—this wasn't a famous organization; in fact, it was practically unknown.

But judging from the description given by the high-ranking warriors of the Dreams Assassins, they must be some of the most elite warriors.

And the Demon Realm… I never knew that there was another space in the world of [God's Capital] besides the human-inhabited areas. Perhaps it was because I hadn't logged out of the game for too long, so I was completely unaware that the system had been updated. However, from their conversation, it seemed that the way to enter that place was extremely mysterious; even the three largest organizations in the game hadn't found a way in.

On the way back, I specifically logged into the search engine at the mercenary headquarters in a nearby town and searched for keywords like "Runian," "Shadow Eater," "Eye of the Demon Dragon," and "Shattered Harp," but the search results were zero. This could only mean one thing: information containing these keywords was so valuable that no one would share it with others.

I left a message for Melfis, but I didn't directly state my question. I just said I had something important to ask him and wanted him to tell me where I could find him. Rumor has it that some people have very advanced techniques to intercept messages with special keywords. Although I don't know if it's true or not, I decided to be careful.

Seeing my worried look, Xia Xi gave up on chatting with me. Logically speaking, this mission went quite smoothly; I obtained the information I wanted and escaped unharmed. The little girl probably hoped to go home happily, but my appearance seemed to dash her hopes.

The first thing I did upon returning to the guild was to find Balgus and deliver the news of Blackhis's survival to him. Balgus seemed relatively calm; he simply nodded at me and told me that a guild-wide war meeting was scheduled for the next few days, and I should refrain from other missions for the time being.

"Will Rayout and Dreams go to war?"

I asked.

"That depends, but I don't think so."

"Greedy Wolf."

Just as I was about to leave, Balgus suddenly called out to me.

I turned to look at the guild leader before me: "Is there anything else?"

"Have you ever betrayed anyone before?"

My breath caught in my throat. "Why do you ask?"

"This is just casual conversation; it won't change anything. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

This man, who had a four-year-old child, had never shown me such a mature expression before.

"Yes, I have."

I answered, staring into his eyes.

"What did it feel like? Guilt, remorse, or regret?"

he asked slowly.

I couldn't help but want to burst out laughing. Balgus, you've probably never betrayed anyone… I thought to myself, at least you haven't tasted the bitter fruit of betrayal, which is why you use such simple words to describe it.

“I can only say it’s complicated,”

I replied.

Balgus nodded. “I know that behind every choice are various chips placed on the scales, and achieving one’s goals that way always comes at a high price… So I don’t care what choices you’ve made in the past.”

He was right, or perhaps wrong. Balgus and I were two different kinds of people. His words seemed to be offering me moral solace, but that wasn’t what I needed. Betrayal is just betrayal; no matter how nicely it’s phrased, it’s just an excuse. Everything that happens in this world has a reason, not just betrayal. Ultimately, it’s our own choices; trying to morally excuse ourselves… is just self-deception.

**********************************

I left Balgus’s room and went to find Fey. She wasn’t there; it seemed the mission wasn’t finished. So I ran to the mercenary quarters outside to check if Melfis had left me a message…

Of course, she hadn’t.

Suddenly having free time, I didn't know what to do. I sat blankly in the mercenary's lobby, watching mercenaries of all levels running around. Watching them reminded me of my younger self, always busy, struggling for something.

But things were different now. I had found Fey, found clues to move forward, and a guild to rely on. So, was that why I had so much free time? I couldn't say for sure. It just felt pretty good…

“So relaxed? I've never seen anyone sleep here before.”

When Azza's voice rang in my ears, I realized I had fallen asleep on the bench…

“I was just really bored.”

I sat up straight, gesturing for him to sit down and talk.

“If you want to sleep, you can lean on my shoulder and sleep a little longer.”

He smiled at me.

“…”

I frowned at him.

“Hahahaha! Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't resist enjoying your helpless expressions, so I made that joke, hahaha!”

Azza burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

"Are all homosexuals as boring as you?"

I sighed and said, having been tricked by him again.

"Of course not. I'm probably the funniest one here, hahaha!"

"That joke wasn't funny, it was just morbid humor."

"Call me whatever you want."

He shrugged.

I was both amused and exasperated. The situation was quite bizarre; I was sitting on the same bench in the mercenary's lobby with a monster-level player who was considered top-tier in the entire game, joking around. I had never imagined something like this would happen before.

"I heard you're level one now?"

I asked him.

"Yeah, I just tested it when I came back last time."

Azza nodded, without a hint of pride or smugness. Perhaps he knew very well that level wasn't something to brag about, because at his level, he would likely encounter many more monsters stronger than him.

"With your level of power, fighting must be quite fun, right?"

I asked.

"Of course. I think you would too, wouldn't you? The reason I'm interested in you is because you're someone who knows how to enjoy combat."

Azza suddenly said, sounding slightly serious.

He's right. I really enjoy fighting, especially a fair fight against someone with true warrior dignity. Even risking my life is incredibly exhilarating.

"How did you know?"

"Intuition, of course,"

he tapped his forehead with his long finger. "I sensed it the first time I saw you. People like us are usually very perceptive. Didn't you sense me too?"

"Because I felt that if I wasn't interested in fighting, I couldn't possibly reach such a high level,"

I replied.

"Levels are meaningless,"

Azza said dismissively. "Anyone who dares to gamble their life can level up incredibly fast. It's just that people who do that usually go bankrupt before the tables spin... I'm lucky, so I've won until now. This world pushes human capabilities to the limit. Combat geniuses are stronger than others in this world. Levels are actually a way to balance people's strength, but many people get it wrong."

"Are you talking about Melfis?"

"More or less. Sometimes I even think that the existence of levels is just to prevent bastards like him from becoming lawless, hahaha!"

Azza didn't hold back at all when commenting on Melfis.

However, to be fair, those at the top do see things differently than we do.

"I've been wondering how strong Melfis would be if he reached level one..."

I murmured.

"Have you noticed that levels up before A-rank still follow the concept of experience points? As long as you keep fighting, your level will slowly increase. But above A-rank, the leveling process seems to follow some unknown rule."

"What do you mean?"

I'd never heard of such a theory before.

"After level 9, people's limits start to appear. Those with high talent level up quickly, while those who are less talented level up very slowly. And the most crucial point is that everyone I know has a bottleneck-like existence. In my experience, the higher the talent, the lower the bottleneck level. Melfis has been stuck at level 5 for a long time; he hasn't broken through that limit yet. That's why I think the system uses levels to adjust the game's balance."

"And you? What's your bottleneck..."

"My bottleneck is level 4. I was stuck at level 4 for almost a year. That's almost the same amount of time it took me to level up from level 4 to where I am now,"

Azza said, looking up at the ceiling.

"How did it feel after breaking through the bottleneck?"

I asked him.

"No feeling. No matter how many times I tested my level that year, the answer was always 4. But one day, it suddenly became 3. If I had to describe it, it would be that my own abilities broke through..."

"Your own abilities?" "

Reaction speed, physical strength, combat thinking ability... The system didn't give us anything except energy and magic power. Everything else should be considered our own abilities."

"Melfis said something similar to you. He always felt that a person's own abilities are much more important than their level."

"That's right. My thoughts were initially influenced by him. If you were like him, killing countless warriors much higher level than yourself with an ordinary level, you would have the same thought."

Level 5 warriors are beings I look up to, but in Azza's words, they are "ordinary"... I have to say we are actually living on two different levels.

"Azza, have you ever lost?"

I asked curiously.

"Of course I've lost, countless times. But I don't know if it's good luck or the benefits of breaking through the bottleneck, I've only lost once since then."

"Who did you lose to?"

"The guild leader of the Destroyer Guild, Fallendon Burning Ruins, a level zero monster. Not only is his energy incredibly strong, but his fighting style completely counters mine. But thankfully, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to stop and would have killed me."

I've never seen a level zero warrior before. It's said that there are no more than ten level zero warriors in the entire [Divine Capital].

Because there are so few of them, the energy intensity of those above level zero is no longer differentiated.

"What grudge do you have against Burning Ruins?"

"No grudge, just a spar. Level zero warriors... they're fucking inhuman..."

Azza cursed casually.

In my heart, I thought, you're not exactly human either.

"Since you're so bored, why don't you spar with me?"

Azza turned to me and said.

"Don't joke around. I'm not a combat genius like Melfis, and besides, my level is way lower than yours right now. Why would you be interested in a low-level warrior like me?"

"If you were an ordinary person, Melfis wouldn't be interested in you either. For someone like him, there's no benefit in befriending an ordinary person, but he never does anything without a benefit. By the way, what level are you now?"

"The last test was B... but Melfis said I'm level 8."

Azza jumped up from the bench and grabbed my arm. "Come on, let's take the test."

I reluctantly stood up. "Didn't you say levels are meaningless? I don't want to waste money on something meaningless."

"Oh, just satisfy my curiosity!"

Azza dragged me to the level testing counter without further ado.

To satisfy your curiosity, you have to damage my self-esteem? I reluctantly paid a hefty fee and waited for the system's test results. If my level wasn't 8, that would be too embarrassing, so I prayed, hoping it would at least be above A.

"Greedy Wolf, Combat Level 6."

When the system information appeared before my eyes, I was stunned for a good ten seconds. I hadn't expected that my current level was only one level lower than Melfis's, and a surge of vanity and pride filled me.

"Hey, what level are you?"

Azza couldn't see the system information, so he asked impatiently.

"6..."

I said, a little confused.

"Not bad! I heard that you were only B when you first joined the guild, and you leveled up so quickly, which means you have great combat talent! But you'll probably hit a bottleneck in two or three more levels."

"I don't think I'm the kind of person who's good at fighting..."

I said honestly.

"You just don't realize it. With guys like Melfis around, it's inevitable that you'll feel a little too ordinary."

Azza laughed, "How about a spar?"

I smiled and shook my head, "Once I break through my bottleneck, I'll definitely fight you."

Azza laughed, "Oh dear, my chances of winning will be greatly reduced then."

Actually, if I had the strength, I would really like to fight Azza. After all, he was a very respectable warrior, and any warrior with the same obsession would enjoy dueling with such an opponent. However, I had absolutely no idea what kind of fighting style an archer like Azza would employ. To compensate for my disadvantage in combat skills, I would need to use a lot of energy.

"Level doesn't matter much," a top warrior like him who had already broken through the bottleneck could say such a thing, but I couldn't. If we really fought, with the difference in energy acceleration levels, I might not even be able to catch his shadow before he riddled me with bullets. But if I thought about it carefully, if I used "that move," maybe...

Just as I was lost in thought, a hand patted my shoulder.

I turned my head, my heart starting to pound warmly.

"You...you guys are back?"

I looked at Fey and Fronburn.

"Back~ What are you talking about, so happy?"

Fey squinted at me and smiled.

"Greedy Wolf said he wants to spar with me~" Azza deliberately put on a mocking look.

Just as I was about to retort, Fronburn suddenly interrupted.

"Should we spar with swords or spar in bed?"

He asked with a slight smile.

"I'd prefer the latter, but unfortunately, this guy isn't one of my kind."

Azza shrugged.

I was surprised that someone as arrogant as Fronburn would use such unpretentious banter with me, the kind only very close comrades would use. His attitude towards me had clearly changed; he even acknowledged me as a member of the guild, as his partner.

I felt quite comforted; it felt good to be recognized.

"Forget it, it's probably Azza trying to cause trouble for Greedy Wolf again."

Fey saw through Azza's scheme immediately.

"Did your mission go smoothly?"

I asked the two who had just returned.

"Not at all..."

Fey sighed with exaggerated disappointment, looking incredibly cute. I barely managed to suppress the urge to kiss him.

"We were trying to catch a wanted criminal, but he was already killed by someone else before we even got there,"

Fronburn explained.

"Looks like you guys weren't very lucky,"

I said.

"How about we grab a drink to celebrate your return?"

Azza suddenly suggested.

"Sure... I heard there's going to be a guild-wide meeting, and Balgus said we can't take on any new quests lately... We can have a good drink."

Fronburn smiled.

"Let's call a few more people~" Fey said, "Xia Xi should be back with Greed Wolf, right? Let's call her too~" "Orange's been complaining to me about being bored, and Laharis's here too."

Azza said.

"Where's Shadow Eclipse? We saw him on the street when we came back."

Fronburn said.

"You know that guy, calling him over is just for drinking alone."

Azza waved his hand, "I'll go call the two of them, seven people is just right, any more would be too noisy."

His suggestion was unanimously approved by the others, and apart from not being close to Laharis, I had some acquaintance with the others, so I didn't object. Actually, as long as I could be with Fey, nothing else mattered. **********

...

We're all high-level professional warriors, not short of money; this place was made for us.

Laharis is a large woman, the same level as Shadow Eclipse, tied for second in our guild. This wasn't the first time I'd seen her, but it was the first time I'd observed her so closely.

She was tall, almost as tall as me, with deltoids and biceps even more developed than mine—clearly the kind of pure warrior brimming with power. Fortunately, her physique wasn't distorted by her muscles, so it didn't look uncomfortable.

The tavern was already quite full, but luckily we still found a spot in the corner large enough for all seven of us.

A long table. Azza, seemingly very considerate, pulled Fronburn aside and said something to him when he tried to sit next to Fey, taking the opportunity to leave the seat next to the girl for me. I gave him a grateful look, then sat down contentedly with my beloved girl, while Azza sat on my other side.

A flicker of disappointment seemed to cross Fronburn's face, but perhaps it was just my imagination, because he didn't show any displeasure after everyone was seated. We ordered beer and food and started chatting casually.

"What exactly did you guys go out to do? Balgus's acting all mysterious,"

Fronburn asked me and Xia Xi.

Xia Xi glanced at me, her meaning clear: I knew far more than she did, so it was better if I told her.

"Although Balgus doesn't want me to tell anyone, I think he'll probably say it at the meeting later. We might have to fight Dreams."

"Oh? That's quite interesting..."

Azza took a sip of his drink. "Is it because of the grudge you formed in the Beast Forest?"

I nodded. "Someone survived, so it's only a matter of time before Dreams takes action against us. I just don't know how Balgus will decide."

I wasn't completely ignorant about how guild feuds were resolved. Unless there was a deep-seated hatred, even a behemoth like Dreams wouldn't really engage in a bloody, all-out battle with us. Larger organizations tend to have to consider public opinion and moral pressure more.

Our battle in the Forest of Mystic Beasts was perfectly fair; we didn't use any traps or underhanded tactics. Moreover, we were outnumbered, and those who died were actually killed by Melfis. If Dreams were to launch a legionary attack against us because of this, their prestige and the moral compass of their ordinary members would likely be severely shaken. This wouldn't be good for Dreams, which has two equally matched competitors.

Usually, the solution to such problems is simply for each side to send three to five people in a duel; regardless of the outcome, the matter is resolved. Or, they could simply use their superior power to force the smaller guilds to submit and compensate the larger guild with money. How things will develop depends on the outcome of negotiations between Balgus and the other side.

“If it really comes to a fight, you and Fronburn will probably both have to go. Five against five, Shadow Eclipse and I wouldn’t mind having a go.”

Azza glanced at Laharis. “What do you think?”

The woman with the strong arms pursed her lips. “I’ll definitely be involved in this kind of thing. Even if I don’t go to Balgoth,

I’ll definitely be called upon.” This whole thing started because of me, so if it escalates into a duel, I’ll be the one who has to participate.

I actually hope Blackhis is my opponent, because there are things I need to take responsibility for, and so does he.

“What are you thinking about? Don’t look so grim.”

Fey nudged me with her shoulder, then seemed to think the gesture was too intimate in front of others, and stepped back a little. “Whether it even starts is uncertain. Dreams aren’t all unreasonable people. If they were such a vicious and despicable guild, they wouldn’t have grown to this size. They might not even be bothering us because of this.”

I always tend to think the worst, which is a flaw, but I think it’s good to be mentally prepared early.

Everyone's interest in Dreams didn't last long, quickly shifting to beer and other topics.

"This time, Greed Wolf and I heard some special information... Azza, do you know anything about the Demon Realm?"

Xia Xi asked.

Azza's eyebrows visibly rose. "The Demon Realm? Who told you that?"

"Two high-ranking warriors from Dreams. What's the Demon Realm? A newly developed map?"

Xia Xi asked.

Azza shook his head. "No, it's always been there, but very few people know how to get in."

"Have you been there?"

Orange asked.

"I went once."

Azza drank his beer. "A long time ago, and because I was alone, I didn't stay long. But I can say that the lowest-level monsters there are level five or higher."

"Dreams seems to be trying to send a large number of warriors there,"

Xia Xi said.

"It must be difficult. When I went, it took me a lot of effort just to open a single-person portal."

None of us asked him why he wanted to go there; there wasn't any particular reason, we just felt we shouldn't pry into other people's business.

"So, Xia Xi, how was it going after going out with this guy?"

Orange asked the girl next to her with a smile.

"What do you mean 'went out with him'... That's so rude..."

The girl glanced at me, wrinkled her nose, and said to Orange, "This guy only knows how to make people angry!"

Orange laughed: "Did anything spark between you?"

I glanced at Fey, who was sipping her drink, pretending not to care about what they were saying, which made me want to tease her.

"Nothing sparked,"

I replied with a smile, "I just slept in her bed."

"Oh! Big news!"

Orange exclaimed.

Fey's shoulder trembled slightly, and then she secretly pinched me under the table.

"He's talking nonsense!"

Xia Xi said, her face flushed. "I...I...I..."

I stopped Fey's cool, slender fingers with my hand, then casually warmed them in my palm. Fey tried to pull away but couldn't, so she had to let me hold her hand.

“I’m not lying, but of course I slept while she logged out of the game. Half the inn was destroyed by the monster horde, so the system protection was down, and I sneaked in.”

I dropped the unspoken part.

Fey couldn’t help but smile, and the others laughed too.

The atmosphere was lively, everyone downing bottles and getting increasingly boisterous. Xia Xi secretly ordered beer from the waiter, replacing her juice.

“Hey! High school students shouldn’t drink…”

Laharlis said to Xia Xi, looking at her like an older sister.

“Hey, Laharlis, just ignore her.”

Azza waved her hand. “Everyone’s having a good time today, can you bear to see her drinking alone while we’re all drinking?”

Laharlis shook her head helplessly. Xia Xi held her bottle, grinning at Azza, who winked at her playfully.

I realized I was really falling for this guild. The relationships between these people seemed more like a big family than just simple partners. Laharis's concern for Xia Xi and Azza's plea reminded me of things in the outside world.

When I was little, I got a good scolding from my mom for trying to sneak a taste of my dad's wine. My dad, however, spoke up for me and even let me have a sip. The interaction between these guys brought back those memories, though they felt warm and distant.

Fey and I were holding hands under the table. She leaned against the wall behind her, gently sipping the neck of the bottle with her other hand, swirling it slightly, and occasionally taking a small sip. The girl's face was slightly flushed, her eyes were bright and sparkling, and she was incredibly charming.

"Greedy Wolf, I think you and Xia Xi are a perfect match. You two could go on a date or something."

Orange was a little drunk, and his words became somewhat unrestrained.

"Why do you think that?"

I asked him casually, sipping my wine.

Fey turned to look at me, smiling with pursed lips.

"Look, you both have black hair and black eyes~" His words were no longer logical, and I shook my head helplessly.

“If I went on a date with her, you'd all say I'm a pedophile,”

I said.

“What did you say!”

Xia Xi glared at me. “You old man!”

It would be too embarrassing for me to argue with her in this situation, so I shrugged, remaining noncommittal.

“Fey! You also think they're a good match, right?”

Orange persisted, seeking other support.

“They really are a good match,”

Fey said with a smile, giving me a meaningful look that I could sense was a hint of jealousy.

“See, see, even Fey said so!”

Orange exclaimed, emboldened by her newfound support.

I glanced at Fey, both amused and exasperated, then placed my hand on her smooth, white thigh. The girl trembled, pressing my hand down, but her face remained impassive.

"Look at his face! He looks like he just swallowed a fly!"

Xia Xi, her face flushed with wine, slammed her hand on the table and pointed at me. "Tell me, why do you look down on me!"

This girl's drinking manners are terrible; she'd probably only had less than two bottles...

"Xia Xi, he's not a good man,"

Laharis said, patting Xia Xi's back with a laugh.

"Why? Why?"

Xia Xi looked at Laharis with hazy eyes.

"This guy likes to lie. Look into his eyes; they're lying eyes. I can tell,"

Laharis commented bluntly.

"Hey, hey, I'm still sitting here. Is it okay to talk bad about me to my face?"

I said helplessly.

"Am I right? Are you hiding anything?"

Laharis asked with a mischievous grin.

I opened my mouth, forcibly resisting the urge to look at Fey. If I did, everything would be exposed.

“Laharis, don’t act like you know men so well,”

Fronburn suddenly spoke up. “If you know men, you should at least know one thing: no man is completely honest, so it’s normal for them to hide things.”

Xia Xi, Fey, and Laharis nodded repeatedly.

“Fronburn, you’re really sabotaging yourself and dragging us all down with you…”

Orange said helplessly.

“That’s true, but I’m different from you guys. I would never lie for no reason,”

Azza laughed.

“You deadbeat…”

Orange gritted her teeth, while Azza laughed heartily.

“Whatever! Greedy Wolf! I like you! I want to go on a date with you!”

Xia Xi suddenly jumped up from her seat, pointing at my nose and shouting.

I was speechless, my mind racing to find a way to respond. But before I could react, she slumped limply onto the table. I breathed a long sigh of relief.

“I told you we shouldn’t have let her drink!”

Laharis frowned and pulled Xia Xi into her arms, letting her rest her head on her lap and fall asleep.

“Now we don’t have to worry about her being a minor, we can talk about some adult topics, right?”

Orange said with a mischievous grin.

“But that was really an explosive statement just now…”

Fronburn looked at me and said, “What are you going to do?”

“Yeah, what are you going to do?”

Fey also smiled and stared at me.

“When she wakes up, she should have forgotten everything, so don’t worry, she definitely won’t remember what she said in this state.”

I said, trying to appear calm.

Seeing my calm demeanor, the others found it boring and stopped focusing on me.

They started chatting about some erotic topics, while Fey rested her chin on her hand and looked at me.

“She’s serious.”

The girl looked at me with hazy eyes, “Xia Xi is cute, isn’t she?”

I nodded and said in a very soft voice, “But you’re cuter.”

After saying that, my hand very indecently reached towards Fey’s inner thigh. The girl flinched back slightly, then quickly regained her composure, pretending to listen to the others, and grabbed my wrist to stop me from advancing.

But her grip was weak, and I successfully penetrated her panties, completely controlling her sacred sanctuary. I used my middle finger to knead and rub between her petals, her tender lips as soft and delicate as a fragile rosebud. Fey's breath seemed to stop; her upper body stiffened, her fingertips gripping my wrist tightly.

"What are you doing…"

the girl's fingers trembled slightly, her soft moans a reproach for my frivolous actions.

"Just wanted to see your cuteness…"

"No… not here… ah…"

Fey's face was flushed crimson, though hidden by her burgundy dress.

I didn't let her off the hook. Her lower body was already wet, her lips slippery, making my movements even smoother. Fey bit her lip, twisting her waist in an attempt to resist, but these movements only intensified her pleasure.

Using her love juice as a lubricant, I gently rubbed her most sensitive clitoris. Fey's body jerked violently, almost crying out. My finger, probing in response, slipped directly into her tight little hole.

Fey jerked her neck upwards, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. Then, as everyone looked at her, she yawned as a cover—what a clever girl…

As everyone's gaze turned back, I felt her little hole tremble violently, almost squeezing my finger out. I struggled to push it further in, managing not to be pushed out.

"Take…take it out…"

Fey said, head bowed, elbows on the table, her voice trembling with a mournful plea.

Her legs swung under the table. Because her legs were tightly closed, I hadn't penetrated very deeply. However, this movement gave me another opportunity. Her writhing movements revealed her weaknesses time and again, and my middle finger penetrated deeper and deeper with each movement.

When my fingertip finally touched the girl's clitoris, Fey grabbed the bottle, squeezing it tightly, while her other hand pretended to stroke her hair to hide her almost collapsing expression. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, shame and fear twisted into immense pleasure, and the girl's lower body continuously released a stream of lustful fluids. Her mouth was slightly open, and she breathed heavily, dazed.

I didn't let her go; instead, I began to carefully grind her clitoris. The girl's whole body began to tremble, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the bottle, and she couldn't help but let out very cute and seductive moans.

Because the pub was very noisy, no one heard her.

My finger slowly withdrew, then pushed it back in. After only a few rounds, Fey was already close to climaxing, even her fair neck was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

"Quick...take it out...I...have already..."

she murmured softly, her voice trembling with tears.

Just teasing her a little wouldn't be a big deal, but if I really brought her to orgasm there and someone found out, she would definitely get hurt. So I slowly pulled my hand out, and as my knuckles scraped against the layers of tender flesh inside her vagina, Fey almost lost control.

When my wet fingers finally left her body, Fey let out a long sigh, her whole body going limp.

"I...go to...the bathroom..."

the girl said, gathering her skirt as she stood up, and then ran away.

A small patch of shimmering water remained on her seat. I wiped it away discreetly, stood up, and pretended to go to the restroom.

Following behind Fey, she glanced back at me, then abruptly pulled me into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

Her breathing was trembling, and my penis was already rock hard. I pressed the girl against the wall, saying nothing, just kissing her forcefully. Fey's tongue entwined with mine frantically, her whole body burning like fire.

There was no need for foreplay anymore; I pulled up one of the girl's long legs and thrust directly inside her. Fey made a cute, almost crying sound, arching her back to connect with me.

I cupped her cheeks, kissed her eyes, and pounded into her body with frenzied passion.

"Ah...you...bad man...waaaah...how could you...uh...treat me like that outside...you...ahhh!"

The girl murmured through the frenzied thrusts, her eyes closed.

“Because I miss you so much…and it’s a little punishment for…you talking nonsense…”

I bit her ear, thrusting into her deepest part again and again.

“…I…I won’t say it again…oh oh…I won’t say those things anymore…”

Fey stuck out her small tongue, licking my neck, the indescribably gentle touch constantly eroding my will, “But…you can’t like…Xia Xi…ah ah!”

“Having you…is enough…”

“It’s coming…uh ah…ah! It’s coming…I can’t take it anymore…”

The secret affair in the bathroom brought us both intense stimulation, and we couldn’t hold back after just a few minutes.

A powerful suction came from inside the girl’s body, and I thrust wildly a dozen times, then ejaculated with all my might against that warm flesh deep inside. Fey hugged me tightly, almost crushing her soft chest.

We hugged each other, panting heavily, our erotic fluids mixed together, flowing down Fey’s petals to her legs.

“How does it feel?”

This time, the time was a little short because of the stimulation of the environment, so I was a little unsure of myself.

Fey smiled gently, licking my lips with her tongue, "It feels so good... I love you..."

I gently wiped the girl's body clean, then gave her a long kiss.

After we left, Orange started teasing me for taking so long to pee. I laughed and continued drinking with them. The party lasted until late at night, and everyone drank a lot, so

much so that we all had terrible headaches the next day. The next day, I was worried that Xia Xi might come out and cause me some trouble, but when I saw her, she greeted me normally. It seemed she had completely forgotten what she said last night, and I breathed a sigh of relief. When Orange and I slumped on the kitchen sofa, trying to relieve our hangover headaches by pressing scalding hot teacups to our heads, Fey came over and said good morning, looking perfectly fine. It seems women have a much greater advantage than men when it comes to hangovers. Over the next few days, we chatted, occasionally sparred with each other, listened to Azza share his combat experience, drank, and then spent the whole night with Fey. It felt like a dream. Finally, the appointed day arrived, and most of the guild members were present. Everyone waited in the lobby for the meeting, but Balgus was nowhere to be seen. I felt a strange anxiety, a premonition that something was about to happen. Mono stood not far away, and I moved closer to her. "How's Allen?" I politely asked about her son. Mono smiled at me. "The little guy is fine; he's recently taken a liking to drawing." "Maybe he'll become Leonardo da Vinci someday." "Right now, he looks more like Picasso." We both smiled at each other. " Where's Balgus? He's not in his room. Hasn't he logged on yet?" I asked Mono. "I don't know. He's been online for the past two days, but I can't find him. I put a note on his game pod, but he hasn't come out." Mono shook her head. “Hopefully everything will go smoothly…” I was saying when suddenly someone burst through the guild hall door – it was Orange. He was covered in sweat, his face contorted in a grimace. “Get the fuck your weapons! Something’s happened!” he roared at us. Everyone froze, and two seconds later, everyone rushed to their rooms. I ran inside, donned my armor, and grabbed my sword. Just as I was leaving, Fey came out, dressed and ready. “What happened?” she asked, frowning as she walked quickly alongside me. I shook my head. Whatever happened, I just hoped Balgus wouldn’t be hurt. The entire Rayout was fully armed, following Orange out of the guild. In the plaza in front of the mercenary quarters, a huge, dark mass of people stood – Dreams members. My heart sank. If they were showing up like this, things probably wouldn’t end peacefully… Our two guilds stood facing each other in the plaza, swords drawn. With Balgus gone, we all felt lost and unsure what to do. The enemy outnumbered us twice as many, and a quick glance revealed quite a few individuals in high-level equipment; their ranks were likely considerable. Azza stepped forward, followed by several other officers who emerged from the crowd and stood behind him. Azza placed his hand on his sword hilt and walked towards the other side. Seeing this, Dreams also sent out three leaders, one of whom was Blackhis… “Dreams sent so many people; they're not here to buy discounted milk in Dragon Palace, are they?” Azza asked the group opposite him, his expression unchanged. “Azza, right? The renowned Sky Hunter, still trying to put on an act at a time like this?” Dreams’ leader said loudly. “Who are you?” Azza frowned. “Captain of the Dreams Assault Team.” The captain of the Dreams Assault Team was on par with the vice-president of the Dreams guild. Karanorton—almost everyone knew his name. A level one warrior, the leader of the frontal assault force. It seemed things had escalated beyond our comprehension. "What are you doing here?" Azza realized the gravity of the situation. "Killing you all," Karanorton said casually. Azza laughed wildly, "You can try!" "Karaorton! Are you Dreams really this reckless? You can just wipe out whoever you want, you really know how to bully others with your power."

"Kill these bastards! We're not afraid of them!" Pudding shouted.

The guild member next to me roared, everyone drawing their weapons. The frantic metallic clang of weapons rubbing against scabbards was nerve-wracking; some began to channel their energy, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

"Don't move!" Vice-Guild Leader Nafisaya raised her hand to stop the

restless mob. She clearly saw that the enemy was not only powerful and numerous, but more importantly, they were incredibly well-trained; not a single one of them moved. Those weren't ordinary guild members; they were a force specifically for guild wars, practically an army… If we just recklessly charged in, we would be the ones wiped out. Without any tactics, without any organization, we mercenaries were nothing but a rabble against those guys. No matter how strong an individual's ability is, there's always a limit, and besides, we don't have any absolute superiority in individual ability. "War inevitably involves death, and death is a necessary but unavoidable outcome. Our guild leader is currently absent, so I will act as guild leader. If there is any misunderstanding between our two guilds, I hope we can clarify things before engaging in combat." Nafisaia had always been perceived as a gentle and delicate woman, and I never expected her to speak with such composure and authority at a time like this. Karanorton glanced at her. "I told you long ago, you don't need to act anymore. Even if our guild is reasonable, we won't let you stab us in the back." "Blackhis! Come out here!" Fronburn suddenly stepped forward. "Our battle that time was just a personal grudge. If you want revenge, if you want a duel, whatever you want, come find me, I'm ready! Dragging the whole guild down with you, do you really know what dignity is?" Blackhis grinned after being called out: "Fronburn, you know very well we're not here for that. With just a few of you, without Melfis, I really wouldn't take you seriously." "Your duel in the Beast Forest was fair. If we Dreams had protected our own because of that, we wouldn't be in this position now. But you seem to have too much of a sense of crisis. If someone hadn't told us that you were secretly preparing for war against us to ensure the guild's safety, we wouldn't be in this situation now." "Who's spouting nonsense! Why would we wage war against you? A guild of less than fifty people waging war against a guild of over a thousand? Do you even have a brain?" Pudding roared. "But what if we unite with TWP and the Destroyers?" Karanoton said, narrowing his eyes. "Nonsense! We have no connection with them whatsoever!" Karanoton appeared righteous, but everyone knew that wasn't the case. Dreams was, of course, a guild that would protect its own members; in fact, very few guilds didn't. But high-sounding words had to be uttered, otherwise, they wouldn't stand up to moral principles. Just look at what Blackhis did; when they were preparing to besiege Melfis with so many people, it was clear he wasn't someone who valued the dignity of a warrior. A person like him would use any despicable means to vent his anger. "Even an elephant would be unhappy if a rat kept causing trouble behind its back. So, stop acting and just accept your fate!" Karanoton said, raising his hand. We all tensed up, raising our weapons, ready to fight to the death. "Wait!" a voice rang out. We looked in the direction of the voice and saw Balgus had returned. "Guild Master!" "Boss, are you alright?" With their leader back, everyone felt a little relieved. At least the person who could make the decision had returned, whether it was a fight to the death or a peaceful resolution. "Balgus, I thought you were a coward and ran away." Karanoton looked at him and laughed. "I'm not afraid of death, I just don't want to sacrifice the lives of our guild members in vain." Balgus walked up to him, while azza and the others retreated to the other members at Balgus's signal. "That's not up to you." Karanoton stared into his eyes. "Maybe it's not up to me, but I'm very interested to hear why you're convinced we'll wage war against you." Balgus asked coldly. "Of course, it was one of your own people who came to tell us. I'm sorry there was a traitor among you, but at least that gave us the opportunity to strike first." Karanoton said, tilting his head back. What he said was completely unreasonable. First of all, we never made any decision to attack Dreams. Even if we were to betray the guild, we shouldn't use false information as leverage. Who did this...? I glanced at the others and found them looking at each other too. "Don't try to sway us like this. Rayout isn't a guild that's so easily shaken!" Pudding shouted. She was right; everyone looked at their companions without suspicion, which made me feel relieved. "Actually, it's a misunderstanding," Balgus finally spoke. "The reason I came so late was to get evidence. Fortunately, I made it in time, preventing irreversible consequences." "What evidence?" Karanorton asked. "I'll play it for you." Balgus raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, then played a recording using a recording array. The recording was hoarse and incoherent, but you could still barely make out what the people were saying. “…No…actually…it’s to bring you…information…” “…Rayout is going to wage war against Dreams…” “…In exchange for…my life…” “…Of course…just in case…” “…betrayed…” The meaning of this recording was very clear: this person, in exchange for his own life, told the people of Dreams the false information that Rayout was going to attack them. There was nothing strange about that. But I was stunned, because of that voice… “Who the hell recorded this?” “Who is it?” Some guild members around me shouted angrily, while others turned their gaze to that person. That person was me… My mind went blank; I didn’t know what this meant. I had never said those words, but why was that definitely my voice! Slowly, all the guild members followed the gazes of the others and looked at me. I started trembling all over, and then rushed to Balgoth’s side. “This is impossible! Where did you get this recording from!” I shouted at him, not realizing that to others, this sounded like an admission of guilt.

Balgus slowly turned his head, looking at me with a gloomy gaze. "You didn't expect this, did you? When I sent you on the mission, I left a magical mark on you that could record sound. All your words of betrayal of the guild were recorded."

"Don't joke around! I haven't even spoken to anyone from Dreams!"

I yelled.

"Then what about this recording?"

Balgus narrowed his eyes, looking at me with a murderous expression.

"Greedy Wolf, if you don't admit it, this war we started is meaningless."

Karanoton suddenly said behind me.

"Admit it! Admit what! This is the first time I've ever met you!"

I roared.

Blackhis took a step forward. "Maybe you're too embarrassed to admit it in front of your former guild friends. To avoid me taking revenge on you, you told us about your guild's plans, didn't you?"

He smiled, sending a chill down my spine.

“However, Karanorton, you’ve got it wrong.”

Balgus turned away from me and looked at the people opposite him. “We never had any plan to attack you. I’ve already spoken with your guild leader, and I’ve apologized on behalf of our members for what happened in the Beast Forest. Your guild leader has decided not to pursue the matter further. You can go back and double-check the information to see if it’s as I said.”

“You mean, this kid was behind it all?”

Karanorton asked.

“Some people will do anything for their own benefit,”

Balgus said. “If I’m lying, you can just come back.”

I stood frozen, listening to them, completely unable to think.

“So what do we do with this troublemaker?”

Karanorton looked at my pale face.

“We’ll give you an explanation, of course, and he has to give us one too,”

Balgus said.

Karanorton nodded, then led his men to disengage and retreat, watching the show with interest. At the same time, I saw a smug smile spread across Blackhis’s face. I suddenly understood something, but my brain was out of control, unable to process anything.

"Greedy Wolf, I used to think you were an excellent warrior..."

Balgus turned to look at me, his eyes filled with rage and murderous intent.

His words pulled me back from my reverie. I instinctively looked back and saw all my companions glaring at me with eyes that could chop me to pieces.

No, things weren't that simple. I'd been framed! I never said those things! I wanted to scream, but I couldn't open my mouth.

Wait, that recording... I did say those things... and it was to Balgus! He... he cut out what I'd said to him before and painstakingly pieced it back together, word by word!

To avoid being detected, he used this chaotic audio quality as a cover!

Trying to frame me with such a low-level method? I can't let him get away with this... But why would he do this?

"Greedy Wolf! I fucking misjudged you! You betrayed us just to save your own life!"

Orange's voice rang out.

My instinct was to explain, but I realized that even if I refuted them, my words would be utterly powerless. I needed to find a breakthrough to overturn all the evidence against me, but I hadn't yet pieced together the whole story…

So I could only stand silently in the middle of the crowd, watching them. Laharis, Orange, Mono, Fronburn, and Azza looked at me with unspeakable disappointment and pain in their eyes, and I felt my chest being squeezed tightly.

Was this the punishment I had to bear for betraying Elegy? The thought flashed through my mind for a moment, but I immediately dismissed it. Because I couldn't just give up on clearing my name like this; there were still so many things to do…

“Kill him!”

“Guild Master! Give the order! Kill him!”

The shouts echoed in my ears, almost tearing my eardrums apart.

Then I heard Fey's voice.

“Bargus! Don't kill him! Greedy must have… must have some other reason for doing this!”

“You heard the recording very clearly.”

“But… but… this…”

My heart clenched with pain. Fey… even you… think I would betray you?

Why don't even you believe me...?

I looked up at her. The girl stood in the crowd, biting her lip and looking at me, seemingly hoping I would explain something.

But what could I explain? Give you a reason why I betrayed you? But I didn't do anything like that... You... why... why do you even think I'm a traitor...?

For a moment, I felt nothing. Okay, if that's how it is...

I slowly raised my face, my heart almost completely numb with pain.

"That's right. As long as you can survive, there's nothing you can't betray. It's just a childish guild..."

I said slowly.

"What did you say!"

Orange was furious and wanted to rush over, but Xia Xi held him back. "Inviting you to join was a fucking mistake!"

"You're right."

I looked at him coldly, my heart ashen. Living is too tiring. Having lost everything again, I felt I couldn't possibly make it through. If Death wants to end me here, then so be it...

"Greedy Wolf, why did you have to betray us!"

Fey's face was covered in tears.

I laughed, twisting a vicious smile into my expression. If I didn't do this, I wouldn't be able to hold back my tears either.

"There's nothing more to say, Greedy Wolf, this is your own doing. Accept your judgment honestly..."

Balgus said beside me.

"Hahahaha! Judgment? You think you can do this? Come on! Hahahaha!"

I laughed loudly.

"Me."

Azza stepped out from the crowd, "Balgus, I'll handle this, none of you interfere."

Balgus nodded, and Azza walked up to me and stood there. I breathed heavily, glaring at my executioner.

"I never thought fighting you would turn out like this..."

Azza looked at me, his face expressionless.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

I stared into his eyes without moving, my chest heaving violently.

"Betrayal is irrelevant now. Let's enjoy this battle together."

Azza pulled something about thirty centimeters long from his waist and held it in his hand, but didn't draw his sword. "Any last words?"

I glanced at Fey, who was being held and crying in Fronburn's arms. The instant I saw this scene, a powerful urge to survive overwhelmed me… I really didn’t want to lose her… but… but…

"Do you really think I'm the one who will die?"

I forced out the words to Azza through gritted teeth.

"A strong fighting spirit... very good..."

Azza said, radiating an astonishing killing intent.

He raised the object in his hand and took a deep breath.

"Those who look up to me are those I will defend. Those who look down on me are those I will hunt. Sunset! Giant waves! Eternal night! Gale! All things submit to my power, become my bow and my arrow! When the sky cries out, you are with me!"

Azza chanted loudly, and the entire plaza trembled slightly from the violent energy fluctuations. A blinding light shot out from the object in his hand, and energy lightning began to rage wildly, tearing countless cracks in the ground. A large amount of energy leaped from his body and was absorbed into the object, followed by another flash.

After the flash, we saw a golden longbow in his hand.

I almost stopped breathing when I saw all this, but my whole body began to tremble with excitement. I forcefully planted the sword in my hand into the ground, then crossed my left and right hands.

The Ring of Immortality and the Ring of Never-Ending were clashed together.

"Restless souls, desperate obsessions, tormented desires, the dying wish of kings, I call forth from here to the abyss where you dwell! My soul is your reward, my body your lair! If you can hear my call, give me your power! Obey my command, the dead will not live, the departed will not die!"

I roared out the highest-level incantation I could muster, and the ground within a radius of several meters around me was instantly torn apart by countless bone spikes. These grotesque bone spikes shrieked as they pierced my body, and an unbearable scream echoed across the plaza, as if countless ghosts were howling in unison.

When this chilling sound reached its peak, all the bone spikes exploded together. I was now clad in layers of grotesque white bone armor, and dozens of gray shadows began to swirl around me.

These gray shadows were summoned by the Ring of Immortality and would be of great help in defending against Azza's arrow attacks.

Azza's previously calm face broke into intense excitement.

"Fantastic... I didn't expect you to be so much stronger than I thought..."

Azza looked at me with a murderous smile.

"If I don't use my full strength against you, I might not have another chance."

I raised the bone knife in my hand, and the white bone armor on my body made a terrifying clattering sound.

"One last question for you, why did you betray the guild?"

Azza's smile vanished.

"Hahahaha! What do you think!"

I swung the huge bone knife in my hand forcefully, and the energy attached to the bone knife hissed and slashed a line in the ground. Then I burst out with energy and pounced on Azza.

Azza drew his sword from his waist as I rushed over and met him. The golden longbow floated to the side of his body as if it were fixed in place, remaining in a relatively stationary position no matter how he moved.

We clashed in close combat, our weapons clashing fiercely, sparks and bone fragments flying everywhere. We were both testing each other, so we weren't going all out. I didn't know how good Azza's close-combat skills were, but if I let him create distance and shoot me with his bow, I'd be at a huge disadvantage.

My armor, though thick, was surprisingly lightweight, so my defense was greatly enhanced without a significant decrease in speed. In fact, if it were just summoning the Burial Ghost, I wouldn't need to chant the incantation; the incantation's true purpose was to summon this armor. This set of gear is called the Soul Redemption Armor, and it has many other uses. I originally thought my level was too low to use this move. But since the system had determined I was already level six, I risked my life to try it, and I didn't expect to actually succeed.

However, since it was my first time using this move, I needed to familiarize myself with it.

This was why I was still wasting energy testing Azza's attacks. His energy level was much higher than mine, so if this continued, I would definitely run out of energy first. I had to familiarize myself with how this armor worked as soon as possible, or I would definitely lose.

The bone knife in my hand was quite large, so I could easily block Azza's sword during my attack changes. Therefore, during the initial probing, my attacks gained the upper hand, with Azza mostly on the defensive.

To others, it seemed I had Azza under control, but only I knew that Azza was merely observing me. My attacks hadn't caused him any real damage.

I couldn't wait any longer; if I did, my stamina and energy would plummet. I concentrated a large amount of energy into my bone blade and slashed at him, hoping he would defend with all his might, giving me a chance.

But things didn't go as I expected. When my weapon swept across, Azza took the hit head-on, his body blasted backward by the energy. This was completely unexpected, but I immediately realized it wasn't my attack that had worked; he was using the momentum of my energy explosion to create distance!

He realized he couldn't gain an advantage in close combat, so he had chosen a tactical maneuver.

If I lost track of him at this moment, I might as well give up.

So I accelerated at full speed, chasing after him as he flew away, the powerful acceleration making my vision blur.

Azza darted wildly across the rooftops surrounding the plaza. I chased after him, trying my best not to lose sight of him. Azza accelerated, and to prevent him from using this opportunity to shoot me with his bow, I commanded the Burial Ghosts to rush forward and attack his hands, hoping to use this chance to bring the battle back to close combat.

But as I accelerated further, Azza suddenly began to slow down drastically. In just half a second, the distance between us disappeared. He turned around, his golden longbow almost touching my chest, bursting with a blinding light.

There was no chance to dodge. I held my bone knife horizontally in front of my chest, hoping that the defense of the Soul Redemption Armor and my energy shield could withstand the attack.

I had just made a defensive move when Azza's arrow was launched at almost point-blank range. My energy shield was torn apart in an instant, followed by the bone knife in my hand. A heavy hammer slammed into my chest, and I flew backward, my heart almost stopping. I

absolutely cannot lose my senses… I bit my tongue hard until it bled, holding this thought in my mind. Despite the excruciating pain, I barely managed to avoid fainting from the immense impact.

I flipped over in the air to regain my balance, landing heavily on the ground and sliding backwards for several meters.

Looking down, I saw that the chest of my Soul Redemption Armor was shattered, but thankfully, it wasn't fatal.

Azza flew towards me, landing in front of me and looking at me.

"You're the third person to stand up after taking a destructive arrow from me at point-blank range,"

he said slowly.

I grunted and opened my right hand. The ground cracked open, and I grabbed the resummoned bone sword, pulling it out with force. The shattered area on my chest was slowly healing. The Soul Redemption Armor itself had an independent energy limit; damaging it and summoning a new bone sword consumed its own energy. I didn't want to do this, but if I didn't repair it, my chest would be shattered again next time.

"As a reward, I'm going to use my full power,"

Azza said.

I nodded and raised my weapon.

Azza quickly made several hand seals, and a large beam of energy condensed on his right shoulder. These energy beams floated slowly behind him like ribbons and wings. He raised his bow, and one of the energy beams shot towards his weapon.

I couldn't let him escape again. If he gained the advantage of distance, who knew what the battle would become?

With a shout, I plunged my bone sword into the ground. The ground exploded upwards in a ring of bone claws, forming a bone prison large enough to trap both of us. Summoning this bone prison consumed nearly half of the Soul Redemption Armor's energy, but as long as I could fix the battlefield within this area, I had a chance of winning!

Azza didn't have time to destroy the bone prison before I pounced on him. He had to release his golden bow and use his sword to parry my attacks.

Gathering my full energy, I slashed at him with all my might. Azza couldn't use his previous trick of using the momentum to fly away. He created a thick protective shield and then lowered his body to prepare to receive the blow.

"Die!"

I roared, slashing my sword at his blade.

With a roar, a sharp pain shot through my spine. Then, eight bone wings unfurled menacingly from the back of my Soul Redemption Armor, whistling as they pierced Azza's unsuspecting back. "

I won," I thought.

But to my astonishment, the energy beam behind Azza suddenly erupted. The bone wings and the energy beam entangled for a moment, then were shredded to pieces.

Azza roared, unleashing a powerful energy storm—the kind only top-tier warriors possess.

I was blasted backward, watching as Azza grabbed his golden bow and fired three arrows into the bone prison behind him.

I tried to stop him, but the energy storm was too powerful; by the time I reached him, it was too late.

A huge hole was blasted in the bone prison, and Azza flew out through it. I chased after him, launching a barrage of attacks. Azza didn't have time to fully assume a defensive stance, and I slashed at his energy shield several times.

On the last strike, I pierced his shield, and a spurt of blood shot out. My heart tightened.

I really didn't want to kill him... Azza... I thought I'd be the one dying... I was just struggling desperately... And...

Just as I was staring blankly at the splattering blood in front of me, a beam of energy pulled me back from my thoughts.

Azza's golden longbow already had a highly compressed, slender energy arrow loaded. It seems that the wound was just a superficial injury... I was overthinking it.

I lunged backward, the energy arrow relentlessly pursuing me. I raised my left arm to block, my arm was instantly pierced, but the energy arrow was deflected and grazed my chest.

A sharp pain shot through my arm, and I gritted my teeth, refocusing my attention to find Azza. But when I found him, I was immediately drenched in a cold sweat.

Azza's chest armor was stained crimson with his blood, he was floating diagonally above me, his bow already aimed at me, with three destructive arrows on it. The moment I looked up, the attack came.

I curled up to defend, then all the energy of the Soul Redemption Armor formed a bone shield in front of me. Immediately afterward, the three destructive arrows struck me.

I was blasted straight to the ground, my bone shield shattering instantly. The massive shockwave left my mind a jumbled mess.

I had to do something, or this would be no different than falling from a hundred-story building. My landing point was fixed; if Azza seized this opportunity to continue attacking, I was doomed.

"Funeral Ghosts!"

I roared, and all the Funeral Ghosts pounced on Azza at the same time. I tried my best

to cushion the impact with my energy, but the sound of my body hitting the ground was still clear.

My internal organs were churning, and I lay on the ground for a full five seconds before I could breathe again.

In those five seconds, all the Funeral Ghosts I had summoned had been exhausted by Azza's sword.

I staggered to my feet; my Soul Redemption Armor was shattered beyond recognition, barely able to withstand the impact on forty percent of my body. The armor's energy was completely depleted, and repair was out of the question for the time being.

Azza, covered in blood, stood a dozen meters in front of me.

"The battle is over, no need to fight anymore."

He was breathing heavily, and I saw his bow trembling slightly as he aimed it at me, the energy humming within it; it seemed his energy was dwindling.

I smiled, then squeezed out a little energy to pull another bone spear from the ground.

"Greedy Wolf! Why did you betray us! Give me a reason, and I won't kill you!"

Azza roared after seeing my movement.

"The battle isn't over yet!"

I shouted to the sky, then used my last bit of energy to accelerate towards Azza.

Azza's arrow pierced my thigh, and I lost my balance, crashing to the ground, the energy from my body creating a large crater.

"Do you have to die?!"

I heard Azza cry out.

I used my remaining strength to prop myself up, kneeling on the ground, and threw the bone spear at Azza.

"May the departed rest in peace,"

Azza murmured softly, then unleashed a final, chaotic rain of arrows at me.

The arrows shattered my bone spear, then pierced my chest, arm, and abdomen. I could no longer feel the pain; due to excessive blood loss, my vision began to blur. I tried to find Fey in the crowd, but I couldn't find her even as I collapsed.

I looked at the sky, the blood streaming down my head turning the deep blue into a blood-red. My mouth was full of blood, and breathing became increasingly difficult.

It was all over… I slowly closed my eyes.

Azza didn't want to kill me, probably because I had already conveyed what I wanted to him.

He had said that we were the same kind of people, so I wanted him to understand what what I had done truly meant. Warriors speak with their swords, and he and I were both true warriors. If he could understand, at least I wouldn't die with the tombstone of a traitor.

If I were to die, I wouldn't exchange my life for betraying my comrades; instead, I would choose a glorious battle to accompany me in death. That was what I wanted to convey in the end. I forced Azza to kill me simply to prove that I wasn't afraid of death.

It might have seemed foolish, but it was the only way I could think of.

The guild I once trusted had betrayed me, and so had Fey. When she rejected my loyalty, I understood one thing. Between me and her guild, she had made her choice. When we were on opposite sides, she didn't believe me; she believed her guild.

Perhaps Fey and I weren't meant to be together. She had too many things to cherish, while I only had eyes for her. I could give up everything for her, but she couldn't. This unequal relationship forced us both to make a choice at that moment.

I had given up everything, hoping only that in her memory I wouldn't be the traitor.

But this time I didn't die. Fate, most of the time, doesn't show mercy by letting you die as you wish, just as it doesn't let you live a good life as it wishes.

So when I was dragged out of the grave, I wasn't too surprised.

In a daze, I only remembered someone dragging me forcefully. Someone was chasing me, someone was injured, there were flashes of energy and screams. All of this was happening around me, but it felt incredibly distant. I didn't know what was happening; my consciousness was hazy and intermittent.

When I finally woke up, I was wrapped in bandages, lying on a bed. I couldn't move a muscle; even moving a finger would cause me excruciating pain and break out in a cold sweat.

I turned my head and saw another injured guy lying on the bed next to me.

"What are you looking at! Damn it!"

the guy yelled when he noticed me looking at him.

Dead Raven Melfis.

"Where... am I..."

I asked, my lips cracking.

Melfis sighed, "A safe place...

" "Why did you save me..."

I said, staring at the ceiling.

"I didn't want to save you; I just didn't want the Dreams to get their way." But then I saw you weren't dead, and it felt like it was destiny to bring you back from the grave. I just went with the flow and did a good deed. "

Melfis is that kind of guy. He wouldn't stop me when I was begging for death in front of Azza, but he couldn't tolerate anyone desecrating my corpse. It sounds ridiculous, but it's absolutely true to me.

It's because of what he did that I'm still alive.

" "How are your injuries?"

I asked.

"Don't worry about them, just take care of them."

He said irritably, probably because he felt embarrassed by my disheveled appearance. "I was riddled with bullets by Azza..."

"...You were there..."

"Yeah. Dreams made such a big move, and you left me a message saying you had something important to ask. I was really bored at the time, so I just went to Ryugu Castle to find you, and I didn't expect to see such a good show." "

What happened next..."

From Melfis's description, I roughly understood what had happened. After I was confirmed dead, I was buried outside the city. Melfis came to my grave at night to pay his respects—or, according to him, to stomp on my grave a couple of times—but found that people from Dreams were digging up my body.

He couldn't resist intervening, and when he snatched my body, he found that I wasn't dead. So, under the siege of a large number of high-level warriors from Dreams, he fought his way out, and now he has to lie in bed recovering from his injuries.

"Why didn't I die?"

This was the question I wanted to know the most.

"Because of the power of the Ring of Immortality and the Ring of Undying... You're really lucky..."

I looked down at my hands, but the two rings were gone.

"The rings... where did they go?"

I asked quickly.

"Broken."

Melfis said in a deep voice.

The only keepsake that Elegy left me was gone.

"These rings had a seal, and the way to break the seal was to suffer a fatal injury when first using the Soul Redemption Armor." "The rings will shatter and melt into the body, and the seal will break. In the process, fatal wounds will be neutralized by the power of the seal breaking. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined that the method to open the seal on these rings would be like this,"

Melfis explained.

I got an answer, but more questions arose.

Why did Balgus frame me? Why did Dreams steal my corpse? What was the conspiracy behind this? A whole host of questions flooded my mind.

"But to be honest, I really didn't expect you to push Azza to that extent..."

"I had absolutely no chance of winning..."

"If your energy level were two levels higher, the outcome might have been different."

Melfis was probably referring to when I trapped Azza in the bone prison, I used the spatial advantage to force him into close combat, and he forcibly used his energy advantage to break the passive situation. From a combat skill perspective, he did lose a move. I had nothing to be dissatisfied about gaining an advantage over a legendary warrior.

"If my level were higher, Azza would have gone all out to kill me from the start, leaving me little room for counterattack." "My fighting style somewhat counters his, and he seems to have many moves he hasn't even used yet, I have to admit."

Melfis nodded in satisfaction. "If I can't beat him, you have no chance. It seems you understand this very well, you have self-awareness."

I lay quietly, savoring the life I had regained. I didn't expect to be so calm after being betrayed. After losing something important again, I thought I would remain sad and angry for a long time.

But the truth is, I just feel a deep numbness, emptiness, and a thick, nauseating resentment.

Will Fey cry because of my death? Will Azza feel satisfied for personally eliminating the guild's traitor? Orange? Fronburn? Shahi? Mono? What will they all think of me? I don't know.

Elegy is much stronger than me. When I plunged the dagger into her back, I understood a little about her feelings. And in the end, when she faced me, she put down her sword... How could she do that?

"Has Elegy ever betrayed anyone?" "

I blurted out the question.

Melfis looked up from his book. "Do you even understand what betrayal is?"

I didn't answer, because his question puzzled me.

Melfis sighed and closed the book.

"No one in this world can betray anyone but themselves. Loyalty to companions is for gaining recognition... Helping the weak is to satisfy one's own moral expectations... Where are the good and bad people in this world? Everyone lives for themselves, everyone is selfish, that's just how humans are."

There are no great people, no insignificant people in this world; everything is the same in Melfis's eyes. Perhaps he was right, or perhaps it was just a string of nonsense.

"When people trust others, they are gambling, and gambling involves winning and losing. To accuse someone of betrayal because they have broken their trust is just wishful thinking that humans are trustworthy and the price one has to pay."

Melfis said.

"So you think I shouldn't seek revenge?"

"I didn't say anything. My values don't suit you, so you don't need to decide what to do according to my ideas." "You believe there's still a good side to humanity, but I don't—that's the difference between us."

"How can you live so easily? Even if you don't believe there's a bright side to humanity..."

"Because I don't believe there's a dark side to humanity either. The distinction between light and dark is something you yourselves create. In my eyes, they're all the same. The pleasure derived from taking a life, I don't consider it dark; the pleasure derived from saving a life, I also don't consider it bright. Human behavior can never be viewed in two parts."

“Acting on instinct…what’s the difference between that and being an animal…”

Melfis laughed heartily. “Humans are animals by nature, and can never become gods.”

I was speechless. Of course, there are countless points to refute in his words, but as I slowly experienced all of this, I subconsciously felt more and more that he was right.

“Azza said you’re an assassin outside…”

I said slowly, “Is it because you were an assassin that you developed these thoughts, or did these thoughts make you that kind of person?”

“Azza really dares to say anything.”

Melfis grinned, looking very dissatisfied. “Who knows? Actually, I don’t think there’s any difference. I think it’s good to follow my instincts now.”

“Have you ever tried living with a normal person’s mindset? Why do you let instincts be the force that controls you?”

“Do you think I was born a monster in your eyes? I did have a master’s degree in psychology, but that was a professional training… If I had to say why, maybe it’s because I’m tired of the way humans constantly make excuses.”

“Excuses?”

“Exactly. Betraying Elegy to save another friend, excuse! Finding the person who killed Elegy and avenging her, excuse! Making others pay the price for betraying you, excuse! There are never things that people have to do, only the word ‘choice’. But once people make a choice, they will find countless excuses to create a reason that they can accept.”

"Even if you say that... you can't deny that those so-called excuses were the driving force and initial intention behind our choices..."

"No. People can always choose different paths. The reason we make choices is simply because we believe that those choices will bring us the results we want. Your so-called reasons are just self-deception."

"You're just making excuses..."

"Whether it's making excuses or not, you can ask your former guild leader, Balgus. What do you think he betrayed you for? Was it really out of necessity? People often only see things clearly when they are in the position of the victim."

"What do you know?"

I couldn't suppress my anger when I heard Balgus's name.

"I know he used you as a bargaining chip, forged the recording, it's that simple."

"How do you know that recording is fake? Don't you think I really betrayed the guild?"

I frowned at him.

"A fool like you, burdened by the Elegy incident for the rest of your life, is unlikely to betray someone again."

A strong surge of emotion rushed to my head. I never thought that the person who understood me best was this guy. He didn't listen to any of my explanations, nor did he do any investigation; he simply believed me. Fey didn't believe me, Azza didn't, nobody believed me, but Melfis…

“Balgus had a perfectly good reason for what he did: to use your death to secure peace between Dreams and Rayout. If he had simply handed you over, the tightly bound Rayout would have crumbled. So he sacrificed you, making you the traitor, thus maintaining the guild's safety and preserving its cohesion. How about that? He prepared a perfect excuse for his choice, he got what he wanted, but what does it look like from your perspective?”

…He got what he wanted, and what did I lose…

My hands began to tremble with anger, clenching into fists, a piercing pain shooting through my arm where the hole had been.

Everything was just a choice, everything else was just an excuse… Melfis, you're so right… I thought silently.

Just then, the door opened. I looked up quickly and saw a woman walk in.

“Seems to be in good spirits.”

She glanced at us, then began placing the water jug and other items on the table beside her.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, with delicate features, curly hair, and a clean, elegant long dress. Her eyes were very warm. Just from that last detail, I could tell she wasn't a warrior; she was just an ordinary person.

I turned to Melfis, hoping he would explain.

"Gosna, this is her home,"

Melfis introduced.

The woman smiled slightly at me and handed me a cup of hot water. My hands trembled, almost dropping the cup. She quickly reached out and took my hand, then brought the cup to my lips.

I greedily sipped the liquid, my mind slowly clearing.

"Thank you..."

I nodded to her.

Gosna didn't say anything, but simply used pillows to elevate me so I could lean against the bed. Her gentle actions reminded me of Fey, and my heart tightened.

"I'll make you something to eat; you can talk,"

she said, and then left the house.

"Who is she?"

I asked.

"Didn't I just tell you? What do you think? Isn't this woman nice?"

Melfis said with a smile.

I nodded. Gosna's smile was clean and warm, seemingly easing the pain of my wound.

"Yes, and the price is fair, two hundred gold coins."

I was stunned. "What two hundred gold coins?"

"The price for one night with you."

I frowned. "Could she be..."

Melfis glanced at me. "Is the word 'prostitute' so hard to say? It's not something shameful."

I shook my head; I was just very surprised.

"Prostitutes are cleaner than most people. At least I know she won't sell me, nor will she sell you; they only sell themselves."

I looked at Melfis for a moment. "You like her."

Melfis's eye twitched, then she smiled. "Of course, Gosna's oral skills are excellent. If you don't believe me, you can..."

"That's not what I meant. You should know that."

I didn't look away.

Melfis was silent for three seconds.

"You should know very well whether someone like me could truly like someone else."

"I don't know. But I felt that when you looked at her..."

Melfis raised his hand to interrupt me, "Gosna is just a safe haven for me, nothing more."

"Looks like you have a woman you love too."

"Bullshit, I'm not Azza."

"Who is it?"

"Why are you so curious like a woman?"

His words left me speechless, unable to press further.

It must be incredibly difficult for Melfis to find a woman he wanted to settle down with, but I felt that if he did find one, he would love her deeply. The more indifferent a guy like him is to everything, the more he cherishes what he desires.

"What are your plans?"

Melfis suddenly asked.

“I want to go back to Rayout to find Fey.”

“Want to die again?”

he said contemptuously.

“Just find a way to prove your innocence!”

I said, frowning. His expression annoyed me.

“There’s no such way.”

“How will you know if you don’t try!”

Melfis looked at me like I was a child, the pity in his eyes making me want to jump up and punch him.

“Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant, but you should know that those who didn’t believe you before will never believe you, and those who believe you won’t be easily swayed by others.”

“Shut up!”

I yelled.

The underlying meaning in Melfis’s words filled me with deep fear. It essentially meant that Fey and I couldn’t continue being together… and the most terrifying thing was that I felt he was telling the truth.

“I can force Balgus to reveal his deal with Dreams!”

“How? Kill him in front of everyone if he doesn’t confess? And if he confesses, will everyone believe you? You’re far more naive than I think,”

Melfis scoffed.

“This is ridiculous… Am I destined to live forever with the label of a traitor! Because of something I didn’t do!”

“It’s not uncommon, it’s just that people think it won’t happen to them, and you are one of them.”

I leaned weakly against the headboard, feeling increasingly desperate. In an instant, I felt terrifyingly small, and when something in the shadows started pushing me, I realized my powerlessness.

“If you want to die again, I won’t help you. Find a rope and hang yourself.”

Melfis looked at my expression and said.

“Sorry to disappoint you, I don’t need to die now, not yet.”

I replied sarcastically.

Melfis always managed to pull me out of my negative emotions with these piercing words.

“If you have nothing better to do, why not consider helping me?”

Melfis said.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a duel in forty days in the capital city of Nazalius. I hope you can team up with me.”

He said.

“Why would you participate in something like that?”

In my opinion, Melfis shouldn’t like being treated like a toy. Because as far as I know, those kinds of competitions are usually huge gambles, with the participating warriors treated like dice by the organizers on the outside.

"Because I want to figure some things out. And this competition is organized by the [Divine Capital] system, so many monsters that don't usually show themselves will appear. I'm already getting impatient to have some fun with them."

"Why invite me? My strength is too weak for that kind of competition."

To be honest, I'm not really in the mood to go and die. After all, if everyone who goes is like Melfis, I might not even survive to the end.

"Since I've already invited you, it means you have the strength to participate. Stop dawdling and just say yes or no."

I thought for a moment, "If I want to participate, I'll meet you at the tavern in Nazalius Royal City a month from now. If I'm not there by then, don't wait for me."

Melfis frowned, "This is putting me in a difficult position!"

"That's your problem,"

I said coldly.

"I'm your savior!"

he said, looking exasperated.

“I didn’t ask you to save me.”

He glared at me for a moment, then uttered two words: “That’s true.”

“Alright~” Melfis awkwardly got out of bed; his leg seemed to be quite badly injured. “It’s settled then. I’ll be waiting for you in Nazalius’ capital city a month from now. Whether you come or not is up to you. But if you don’t come, I’ll come after the competition and kill you.”

“You…”

I looked at him, speechless.

“You can try if you don’t believe me.”

He looked at me with murderous eyes, then grinned and limped out of the room.

It seems I’ll be completely under his control for some time now. If it’s a contest of who’s more ruthless, I’m no match for him right now.

******************************

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