Endless Debt

For Gray, this period felt like a mad and seductive dream. As a newly inducted member of the King's Secret Sword, he followed the squad to the mysterious and eerie Oubos within the Oath City.

Before facing powerful enemies and fierce battles, Gray's trusted captain, Jia Meng, suddenly betrayed him. To save him, Milasha died right before his eyes... Gray had even thought of inviting her over after the mission. He really liked Milasha.

Everything crashed down like a storm in front of him. After the baptism, the once slightly naive Gray was no more; replaced by a puppet controlled by hatred and anger.

Gray gazed at the decaying bodies in the green mist. He devised many plans for hunting the undead, and this toxic mist was one of them. Aside from its extremely high cost, it had virtually no flaws.

Heavy breathing echoed from beneath the gas mask. Gray didn't dare get too close to the green mist; even protective masks could be corroded by it. Luckily, its duration wasn't long and would soon naturally dissipate.

The corpse within the green mist made no response, showing signs that Bologue was indeed rendered powerless by the toxic mist's demise. Gray even saw faint glimpses of white bones.

Yet, he didn't relax his vigilance; with a short knife in one hand and a handgun in the other, he slowly approached, trying to ascertain Bologue's condition.

The vision gradually cleared, as if time was speeding up on Bologue's body; flesh was rotten beyond recognition, with pus and blood mixed together, emitting a gut-churning stench.

Upon closer inspection, amidst the decaying flesh, there appeared a hint of silver-white...

Gray instinctively pulled the trigger; the bullets pierced into the rotten flesh, but erupted in a metallic clang.

Only then did he discover a thin layer of decayed flesh beneath, was a vague humanoid form made of earth and metal, followed by intense pain coursing through his foot. Cold spikes instantly pierced through Gray's foot, then twisted into iron thorns, spreading as dense iron spikes emerged from beneath his skin.

Gray fell backward, enduring the intense pain to tear off the iron thorns. At the same time, he noticed the direction of the ether flow, seeing the ground not far away rise and crack as the slightly disheveled Bologue slowly stood up, chest flesh slowly writhing and healing the wounds.

Thanks to days of training, Bologue's creations shaped by the secret energy became increasingly vivid. Now, the replicas he created, under proper conditions, could even pass as genuine.

But the feeling of stealth underground was truly awful; he felt like a mole.

"As a hunter, you still lack steadiness."

Bologue didn't expect his own mistake could so easily lure Gray out. It seemed the opponent was a novice, simply relying on an abundance of alchemy armaments.

Gray gazed shockingly at Bologue. Though the Delusional had repeatedly warned him, and he had made ample preparation ahead of time, when truly confronting Bologue, this guy was only more troublesome than imagined.

Had it not been for his quick movements, perhaps he would've already been pierced through the heart by iron thorns.

He stumbled to move while casting out a smoke bomb, releasing thick mist that obscured Bologue's field of vision.

Gray knew the operation had failed; he must find a way to escape. At this moment, he feared not death, but hoped to kill Jia Meng personally before dying.

It was for this purpose he continued to act, even driven by the Delusional.

Pulling out syringes from his waist, he stabbed them fiercely into his thigh; in brief moments, the intense pain vanished, and Gray dragged his injured foot, swiftly fleeing along the pre-planned route.

The thick mist didn't delay Bologue for long; one iron spear after another pierced through the fog, pinning down behind Gray without hitting him.

Bologue frowned, attempting to catch up with Gray, but his pace was evidently slower, even as the Undying Body. Healing the toxin and the massive wound took time, causing ethereal amplification.

Gray was a tricky adversary; he seemed well-acquainted with Bologue, meticulously prepared, riddled with alchemy armaments. Without those troublesome alchemy armaments, Bologue felt the fight would have ended long ago.

Coughing forcefully a few times, large chunks of foul blood expelled, easing Bologue greatly.

Honestly, this was his first experience in such a battle; the opponent was like a nouveau riche with endless alchemy armaments.

Reflecting on his own frugality in combat, Bologue actually felt a bit envious of the other.

Gray's figure disappeared from sight; judging by the attire he wore, it should've been an alchemy armament that blended his figure with the environment, an immensely convenient disguise within the dark Great Rift.

Even Bologue couldn't sense Gray's ether reaction; despite possessing ether flow goggles, pursuit seemed exceedingly difficult when the opponent solely aimed to escape.

Fortunately, experts always prepare comprehensively.

A silver-white trail appeared across the sky; a slender, fluid-like silver filament drifted slowly, originating from Bologue's hand, stretching into the deep rift.

The Summoning Hand had a maximum range, yet within his own cast scope, continuously shaping threads to extend it, coupled with the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid's excellent ether extensibility, Bologue left a beacon on Gray's body while wounding him.

Taking a breath, Bologue released a large amount of ether along the filament, the silver-white filament glowing with blue light, a blue trajectory manifesting out of thin air.

"Found you."

Bologue whispered, Ethereal Amplification enveloping his body, and in an instant, his speed surged, chasing Gray along the Cyan Trail's guidance.

Entering the Great Rift, he flung the grappling hook, maneuvering between cliff walls.

With his leg injured like that, Gray shouldn't be able to run far. However, Bologue had been in pursuit for so long, and the cyan trail still extended forward.

It's conceivable, this guy has already taken out so many alchemy armaments, even those pain-neglecting alchemy potions could be considered normal.

Bologue suspected Gray was a member of the Gray Trade Association. Kemp and Shelley were used as bait when investigating the Gray Trade Association, and considering Gray's gear, the possibility that he's from the Gray Trade Association greatly increased.

But what Bologue didn't understand was why the Gray Trade Association would design to hunt him down. Moreover, the still perplexing point for Bologue was that he was unkillable. What was the significance of their actions?

Bologue believed that there must be their own intention behind it, only he couldn't guess at it yet.

The cyan trail continually extended into the Wandering Crossroads. Bologue stepped onto the derelict streets, stopped slightly, and the cyan trail ended here, suggesting Gray had noticed this.

Apparently, he had lost Gray, but perhaps Gray was nearby, this being his last known position.

Bologue's gaze swept across the street and landed not far away, countless cables entangled on the skewed buildings, neon lights of different colors flickering continuously.

Gray silhouettes stood beneath the buildings, chatting, drinking, and reveling.

Bologue walked towards the neon lights, reaching out to push open the door of the Web Bar.

The din inside was unending, night and day indistinct here, making the merriment ceaseless. Just as before, the patrons changed again and again, but Vika always stood behind the bar, silently wiping glasses or pocketing the debts handed over by others.

Bologue only later learned of Vika's significant status within Wandering Crossroads—this bar also served as a place for transactions, where many from Wandering Crossroads came for covert dealings, and when needed, Vika would lend Mammon Coins, acting as the creditor for many.

Approaching the bar, Bologue did not order a drink to start a conversation as he usually did, but directly asked, with a tone carrying deadly intent.

"I'm chasing a person, his leg is injured, have you seen him?" Bologue asked.

"No."

Vika straightforwardly shook his head. Despite their proximity, he could easily smell the scent of blood on Bologue, yet his expression remained unchanged.

This scene Vika had long been accustomed to, even if someone died right before him, it was a quite ordinary occurrence for him.

"How much do I have to pay for this? I know the rules here, everything has a value." Bologue spoke again.

"Value?"

Vika paused his movement, glanced at Bologue, then smiled and shook his head.

"The premise of payment is that there must be such goods on the shelf... I know nothing. If you wish, I can invite you for a drink."

Bologue betrayed no concealment of the murderous intent in his gaze, but Vika was indifferent. Such looks were common for him, he grew accustomed to them long ago.

"Aren't you afraid?" Bologue asked.

"Afraid of what? My employee benefits are quite nice."

Vika made a statement that sounded meaningless, but Bologue knew what he meant.

Violent coercion wouldn't work with Vika; he was the embodiment of that evil will, the Tyrant's most loyal employee. Bologue knew he wouldn't obtain intel about Gray from Vika, yet he didn't turn to leave, instead posing another question.

"You... and this Wandering Crossroads, are actually a different form of faith to your employer, aren't you?"

Faced with Bologue's inquiry, Vika maintained his smile and remained silent.

Bologue took a deep look at this bartender, and as he prepared to turn and leave, Vika called out to him.

"Wait, Bologue."

Turning back, Vika placed a Mammon Coin on the counter, pressing his index finger on it, pushing it toward Bologue.

"Congratulations, you've become a legend."

As his index finger moved away, Bologue saw a Mercury symbol engraved on the Mammon Coin.