65. Everyone knows that
"Whii~" I heard a shrill whistle accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps.
I had just stopped carving into the corpse of the Spire Messenger when I turned toward the source of the sound.
She stood there with a wild grin on her face. "You actually did it!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of excitement and disbelief.
Of all people, she understood the danger of the Spire Messenger best—especially as someone who always hunted alone.
"Want some? You'll have to help me first though" I offered, gesturing toward the spoils. Its not like I could finish it all on my own before it spoiled.
"Now we're talking." A small knife seemed to materialize in her hand as she joined in, swiftly working alongside me.
"Take half—I'll sell the rest."
Carrying our halves, we made our way toward the bright castle—or rather, to the outskirts of it.
"Unlike me, you don't eat much. So why do you even hunt so often?" she asked in her usual way, as if quiet and calm were her mortal enemies.
"Well, unlike you, I haven't fully saturated my soul. I need this too."
As I spoke, I crushed the soul shard I'd taken from the Spire Messenger—officially called the Cursed Herald.
+6 Points
A notification flashed before my eyes. I already knew how the system worked—each rank increased the base points by one, and each core doubled the total.
For example, an Awakened Beast's soul shard was worth 2 × 1 = 2 points, while an Awakened Monster's gave 2 × 2 = 4 points.
This Spire Messenger, however, was a Fallen Monster, meaning 3 × 2 = 6 points.
In other words… earning points was no easy task.
But gathering points was only a side benefit.
"Besides, don't you feel the excitement?" I grinned at her. The world was full of strange creatures with all manner of bizarre attacks—it was the perfect training ground for sharpening my combat knowledge.
Of course, one mistake could be fatal, so I always kept a clear safety margin. Even so, it was undeniable: this was the perfect chance to bury my greatest weakness—my lack of experience.
"Hahaha, you're not wrong about that," the woman replied, laughing heartily alongside me.
Her name was Effie. We'd first encountered her upon entering the Dark City, and it was thanks to her lead that we'd managed to reach the city's center relatively unscathed—no small feat in a place swarming with nightmare creatures. As a lone hunter she had her own safe route.
But what awaited us in the Bright Castle was neither a land of paradise nor a gateway home. Instead, it was a warped place steeped in despair—a place to lose hope.
There wasn't a single gateway to be found.
A tyrant ruled over the Bright Castle, demanding a steep price—one Awakened soul shard every week—just for the privilege of living within its so-called safety.
Most people couldn't afford it and were forced to live just outside the castle gates, forming a sprawling slum on the city's outskirts. That place had almost no protection; a nightmare creature could wander in at any moment.
Crude shelters cobbled together from carcasses and whatever scraps people could find, a little more than a wall, a door, and a roof they called it house or shelter. No one kept valuables, no one felt safe; everything could be abandoned at a moment's notice.
The most soul-crushing truth was that this place's population had swelled to over a thousand.
Considering that each year they were all forced into the nightmare spell, in a land where a mere Dormant could barely survive, it was staggering to think how many years it must have taken to accumulate this many people.
No one had ever found a way out. It could almost be called a safe haven, managing to keep more than a thousand Dormants alive… but it was also a cage that no one could escape. Like frogs slowly boiled in warm water, the people here weren't content, yet neither were they desperate enough to risk everything for freedom. They were slowly dying—inside and out—in this warped sanctuary.
What a shitty place…
"Why haven't you joined any cohort? With your skills, I bet no one would turn you down," Effie added with a teasing grin.
"That's supposed to be my line," I replied, shooting her an exasperated look. "Besides, I'm technically part of Neph's cohort, you know? You're the one who always goes solo."
She smirked. "And you already know the reason why."
"Well, everyone knows that," I chuckled. with her appetite and the tyrant's attention it's really hard for her to find a suitable cohort. We continued our casual banter until we reached the outskirts of the Bright Castle and went our separate ways.
"See you around. Help me out if you're free," I called, waving.
"Mhm, as long as the reward's worth it," she replied, returning the wave.
"I'm back," I said as I entered the shack—a surprisingly large structure amidst the slum. This was where Neph and her cohort had settled after making this place their home.
"Welcome back!" Cas greeted me cheerfully from inside.
Neph looked over the spoils I'd brought and nodded approvingly. "Good work. With this much, we can share our food again."
"Yeah, it's up to you," I replied. "We can't eat it all anyway. Better than letting the meat spoil. How's your progress?"
"So-so. I'm still gathering information—and looking for a trustworthy companion."
The wide room featured a large table at its center, covered with numerous documents about the Dark City, the Bright Castle, Cas's prophecy, and much more.
On the wall behind her hung a hand-drawn map of the Dark City and its surroundings. Though large blank spaces still remained, it was a marked improvement from when we first started.
"Speaking of trustworthy companions, are you still stuck in that lover's quarrel?" I teased.
Neph shot me a look that clearly said, What the hell is this crazy bastard talking about?
I'm kidding—there was only a faint tremble beneath her usual poker face. Like I could actually read her thoughts.
"Okay, okay, not a lover's quarrel—friend's quarrel. Still haven't made up with Sunny?"
I caught her brushing her face away, avoiding my gaze.
Not long after we settled in, she and Sunny had a talk, and now Sunny was living deep in the Dark City—far from the Bright Castle. What a surprising turn of events.
Without waiting for her response, I headed to my usual spot and shifted my focus.
Evaluation: 90 (Very High)
Countdown: 2 days 23 hours 10 minutes remaining
"It's almost time," I muttered, eyes fixed on the screen.