Chapter Seventeen
"Are you alright?" Yak took a small bottle out of the cabinet. "Eat something, it'll make you feel better."
"Thank you." The little spider nodded wearily and then took it.
But I didn't eat it; I hesitated for a moment and put it aside.
"Let's leave this for those who need it more. I don't need it, it doesn't hurt anymore," the little spider said softly.
How could it not hurt? It felt like its entire hard shell had been shed. It was almost like peeling off a person's entire skin.
The bottle contained painkillers; this stuff might make him feel a little better. I can't say it will completely eliminate the pain, but at least it will ensure he gets a good night's sleep.
Lady watched from a distance, hugging her pillow and curling up in a ball.
This child looks really scary, and now that he has peeled his skin, he looks even more disgusting and frightening.
But as long as you look him in the eye, you feel a strange sense of peace. It makes you believe from the bottom of your heart that this child won't hurt anyone. You don't know why, you just subconsciously want to believe in this child.
"It's my fault, I didn't expect you to get hurt." Acton paused, then asked, "Did he retaliate?"
"No." To Ark's surprise, the little spider looked up and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It was that priest who attacked me."
"Why?"
“It was my fault. I got too close to a little kid. He probably attacked me because he was afraid I would hurt the kid.” The little spider quickly said, “He’s a very nice person. I could feel that he really wanted to protect the kid.”
Ark sighed helplessly as he watched the little spider defending that guy.
“You’ll really die sooner or later if you keep going like this.” Acton paused and said, “I remember saying that you should not get close to any clergy. They will attack you without reason, and if you encounter a high-ranking clergyman, like the priest this time, you might die because of it.”
"I know, but I really didn't mean to this time."
"Didn't you feel something approaching you?" Ark was a little annoyed. He knew the little spider's abilities; this guy had an uncanny ability to sense everything within a kilometer of his body. Its sensory abilities were so strong that he still couldn't understand why; he just knew, nothing more. There was no reason.
“I sensed it, but I didn’t expect it to move so fast.” Spider hesitated for a moment and said, “I’ve never encountered a target like this before. A kilometer is almost a distance he can cover in one step. To be honest, I’ve never met an enemy with such overwhelming power. I can’t beat him.”
“That was a priest, he was already merciful enough not to use divine magic.” Ark took off his mask and placed it on the cabinet. “Where’s that guy in the cloak?”
“It’s very lost.” This time it was Denos who replied.
Because he's still using that eye to search the whole city for that guy. He hasn't found the invisible eye, even after searching everywhere.
"Didn't find it?" Yak hesitated for a moment, looking outside. "This inn is really quiet."
Everyone who heard him say that felt a chill run down their spine.
Logically speaking, a house shouldn't be this well soundproofed, because they've used magic to seal the space, so naturally, they can't hear any outside noises.
But now, the entire house is completely silent, as if no one has ever lived there.
But in reality, all the rooms here are fully booked, and every single room is occupied.
"Have you figured out who lives next door?" Yak asked after a moment's hesitation.
This is the most obvious threat. If we don't even know who our neighbors are, we've been living in constant fear these past few days.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, perfectly timed just as Ark asked the question.
Such a coincidence can easily make one think of potentially dangerous things.
What's even stranger is that the knocking has suddenly stopped, but everyone knows it hasn't left.
It was waiting for the door to open, as if it would never tire of waiting, no matter how long it took. It planned to wait there indefinitely.
Until someone came to open the door.
Ark gave Denos a look. Denos pulled a box from under the bed, opened it, took out a dagger, and tossed it to Ark.
After examining the blade, Akra opened it; this weapon was originally intended for sale. It was made of fire steel, a type of weapon that required advanced skill to master, making it a fine work of art even if not used for judging the person. He had originally planned to sell it for a good price.
But I forgot to take my weapon off the carriage, so I'll have to use it for now. Hopefully, it won't break, otherwise I'll have much less money to buy a new one.
Ark gripped the knife in a reverse grip, concealing the blade behind his arm. It was a very sinister way to use the knife. This angle would create a large opening, like an extended arm capable of slicing open the opponent's throat.
Incidentally, the skin and flesh nearby were also charred, thanks to the special nature of its material.
Yak slowly opened the door and looked at the guy standing in the doorway.
It was a rather short creature, wearing a cloak. It raised its head and looked at Ark.
"Hello, I'm your neighbor." Its voice was soft, but it always sounded strange.
It sounded like a woman's voice, but it also sounded like the noise of burning flames. It was strange; it didn't sound like a human voice.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to sit next to you." Yak recalled the people he had met while queuing earlier and quickly remembered this short guy.
"I'll just get straight to the point." It seemed unwilling to waste words, and simply touched the strange symbol on the corner of its hat.
Its face was originally completely hidden in the darkness. Ark knew this spell; it often used this kind of spell, which could hide the contents of a hat in a very discreet way, to ensure its own safety.
The exposed face was truly frightening, but Ark maintained a poker face, showing no reaction to its appearance.
"Red Oni?" Ark hesitated for a moment before saying, "I didn't expect to encounter a demon spirit here."
Demon spirits are another way of classifying monsters, derived from ancient demon gods. Unlike the randomly generated creatures we often see outside, they are of a continuous lineage. Most of these demon spirits have their own gathering places.
They live directly in chaotic areas, and because the places they live in are mostly extremely dangerous, it is difficult to completely eradicate them.
After the great battle, with their leader confirmed dead, these guys lost their leader and had no choice but to surrender. But nobody believed they genuinely wanted to befriend humans. However, since no one said anything, everyone maintained a facade of friendship.
These monsters don't use the conventional one-to-five level system for their abilities; that system is actually just a metric used by demon hunters within their own circle to calculate rewards. But no one expected it would become the standard for ranking most monsters.
Demons use a different ranking system. However, because they don't regularly register with humans, the classification can only rely on general characteristics. This results in a very simple classification; so far, most of what we see are simply demons, possessing some of the abilities of demons.
"I never expected to encounter such a human-like monster. If we weren't so close, I would have really thought you were human. But you possess magic power, and an astonishing amount at that. You're a strange fellow; I don't know anyone who has ever mentioned you."
"Perhaps you've heard of me, but have simply forgotten me? I only hope that after tonight, you'll still remember what I look like."
"What do you mean?"
“It’s pointless, let’s skip the small talk. We’re in the hallway now. You know how valuable your head is, right?” Ark subtly implied that the place was dangerous, at least for the two of them.
The demonic core within a demon's body possesses power bestowed by the demon god, making it far more valuable than that of ordinary demons. After all, even encountering a demon is rare, and hunting one requires considerable strength.
"You don't mind if I come in?" Red Ghost looked at the other people in the room. "You have a group of very interesting friends."
"Forget it, please allow me to see him out." Yak shrugged helplessly: "No, you can't."
"Why?"
“No matter what you’re here to discuss, I don’t think I’ll be of any value to you. I know the city is in chaos right now, and you’re all looking for that demon, right?” Ark lowered his voice and said, “I can make you a promise: no matter what you do, I won’t show up in front of you to stop you.”
"Ha, you're a demon. Why...?"
“I am a monster, so I have no ill intentions towards you fellow monsters. Also, I am a merchant, just a merchant. Between humans and monsters, I choose the middle path.” Ark interrupted her. “I have no intention of selflessly sacrificing for either humans or monsters. I am just a merchant; I will do anything as long as it makes money and doesn't violate what I consider my bottom line. I'm content with living a carefree life. Now, please leave.”
"Want money? We'll give you a lot of compensation."
"I'm sorry, but this violates one of my bottom lines: I don't work for others. Because others are paying money, but I might be giving away my life."
Red Oni didn't say anything more. He looked at Ark's face, hesitated for a long, long time, and then sighed helplessly.
“You’re a very capable fellow, and you should have made more contributions to the monsters.” It stroked the runes on the hat again, darkness enveloping its face: “Don’t tell anyone about me, or I’ll come and silence you.”
After saying this, it turned and left, entering the room.
But instead of going through the door, he walked straight in, as if there was nothing there.
It's essentially empty space, a very common little trick. It involves using magic to create the illusion of a door, but it's actually open. It's similar to a simple barrier entrance. This structure allows those inside to see people passing by, while those outside cannot see inside.
Because it's like a closed door, and there are too many closed doors here. Therefore, others won't pay much attention to it.
But aren't they afraid that others will do the same thing when they talk here?
Yak looked around at the doors and suddenly understood.
Because there were knives lying all over it. That guy had checked every door around with a knife beforehand.
“Red Oni?” Denos emerged from the corner, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. “To actually encounter a Red Oni who is peaceful and willing to negotiate, I really don’t know if it’s luck or something else… Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, these guys like to set things on fire first.”
“You remember correctly, I didn’t expect these guys to talk to me so calmly.” Ark rested his head on his hand. “Denos, do you have any cigarettes? I’d like one.”
"You don't smoke."
“I’m really upset right now, and I need this.” Ark sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at Lady, who was sitting there unsure of how to react.
"Um, is there anything I can do for you?" Lady felt a little embarrassed to just freeload and not do anything.
"Stop making things worse. Spider-Man's injury was already unexpected, and I don't want to cause any more trouble." Ark shook his head. "Now, let's not talk about you, and none of us need to do anything."
"Um, could I ask to leave for a moment?"
Unexpectedly, the little spider suddenly raised its hand, just like a student asking a question to the teacher in class.
"reason."
“I saw a girl, just before I met the priest. I don’t know why she was standing there then, and it’s snowing heavily outside now, which is very dangerous.” The little spider paused and said, “I wanted to make sure she was safe.”
"You don't need to worry about it. That paladin has even taken care of us unidentified guys, so he certainly won't mistreat the child."
Ark sighed helplessly as he watched the little spider looking so worried about others, then glanced at Denos, who was leisurely reading a book with his legs crossed.
In just a few minutes, he acted as if he was completely detached from the situation.
"Don't rest." Ark rubbed his head, feeling a real headache. "The Red Demon is right next door. I advise you to set up more protective magic arrays."
"What are you afraid of? They didn't say they were going to burn us down, did they?"
“I’m afraid that if we burn others, it will affect us.” Ark rubbed his head. “It’s a headache. How am I supposed to describe the situation outside right now? I’m really worried that all that malice will mutate into monsters or something.”
As he said this, he got up and drew the curtains.
If you don't look, don't ask, and don't care, you can avoid being affected.
Look at your cowardly appearance, what can you possibly accomplish?
Suddenly, Yak felt he heard a familiar voice. He paused, then turned around in a bit of panic.
Denos was still reading, while the little spider was curled up asleep in the corner. Lady sat there staring blankly at the mechanical structure on her body.
But the person who said that isn't here; it was just my imagination.
A few seconds later, Ark slowly sighed, his expression, which was neither sad nor happy, seemed a little gloomy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com