'To live in the West sector, one has to be a Rook-class or a Queen-class. It doesn't matter if the rank is below F, the West sector accommodated any Ranks in those high classes.
It's empty.
Not necessarily because the sector needed stronger citizens. It gave space to pieces who enjoyed or craved a luxurious life. Pieces who hate the disastrous life of being a hunter and submissive lives of a dungeon raider, yearn for the West sector's beauty.
No one is here.
Anyone with a Rook or a Queen-class could be successful in the West sector. All it needed was to play the cards neatly. Or get played if your class gets snatched or stolen and given to someone else.
All it took to enter the West sector was just a small token. And the luxury, women, all you need would be served right on the golden platter. Now it's desolate?
Play in the Grand Fayein Casino. The house of all delusions! Why's it in crumbles?
… And worship the Constellation of—
Squelch?
Who dares interrupt my adverts?!'
Elian looked down to see what thing he had accidentally stepped on that made such a discomforting sound.
It was a headless human corpse that had already turned blue and swollen. Its guts littered the ground, stomach shredded open… and Elian had stepped on its intestines.
His stomach churned at the sight as he lightly flicked his feet, the essence of the wet red substance splashed around.
Sun walked beside Elian and kicked the corpse aside. It flopped to the side, more liquid oozed out of the body.
"Ookay? What's the plan? We are not just going to head in blind-fold. And I don't want THAT—" Crix pointed at the headless body, "to happen to me. Or any of us."
Elian nodded. His gaze lingered on the corpse. Something about it felt weird. And the placement of the body.
It was right in front of this Sector's burnt gate. As if to warn them or a way to mark the territory as theirs.
But not all monsters had the intelligence to do something like that.
They needed a plan.
Why hadn't he thought of that before?
[Because you were busy hugging and cheating with a man!]
Wait… what? Did you get a virus? Why would I cheat— no. I'm not even dating anyone.
[But still… the twins. They are—]
I'm going to mute you, suckerbot.
Elian glanced at Aven, expecting the tall man to at least say something after his previous flamboyancy. But the tall man hadn't said a word. Aven's eyes were weirdly locked at the corpse on the floor. He bore a mixture of disgust and hurt.
But who hadn't seen a dead body before. Times in the dungeon as an errand boy, Elian had seen a lot of pieces get mauled by these monsters.
"It surely isn't a big deal if we just claimed the territory. If the access gets restrained, every single being would be forced to evacuate. But it takes the fun in it…" Moon was now crouched low, drawing stickmen figures on the Ashy soil.
Aven shook his head, disagreeing. "I won't allow that. You'd risk more lives and the monsters forced out would go on a rampage. Elian knows this, right Elian?"
Elian grumbled under his breath. He buried me in a forest. How would I know that it was infested? He kicked a pebble under his feet as he took a step closer into the giant burnt down metallic gate.
More fun it is…
Aven had strategized a plan to split the team up. Crix with the twins, and Elian with him. Crix's three pieces team would search the West Sector's Grand Casino and the other team would go for the floor area and hotels. For a quick raid.
Crix agreed to the plan.
Sun still pouted his lips, his gaze anywhere but Aven. And when his eyes met Elian, he quickly pulled the stunned man in for a waltz, his hand around Elian's waist, other hand locked with Elian's fingers as he twirled him in circles. "Be safe, pawn. Keep your promise."
Elian sighed out loud, his two left legs struggled to keep up with Sun's dance steps. He rolled his eyes, not even fighting it as he slowly nodded.
Moon giggled behind Crix, twiddling with her hair.
But Aven exhaled loudly, probably tired of their shits as he pulled Elian by the collar away from Sun's grasp. "I know you love to dance… Sunny. But save it for later. Focus on what's on the ground now."
Sun raised a brow, "… a corpse?"
"What? The fuc— no!"
Amidst the stupid conversations, a loud deep voice echoed from behind. They all paused. The voice didn't belong to any of them. No one had that deep thick tone among them, so they all turned to the speaker. It was a tall man, along with six other members.
"You guys ain't claiming this place, right? It's ours.
Ours?
Seven people stood right behind them.
There were three women, four men.
One of the ladies wore a sleeveless black coat, split open from the front and held together by nothing but a single clasp around her chest. The coat barely covered her hips, the rest of her legs wrapped in thin silk stockings and high boots. She had two curved horns slightly above her ears. Looking like a succubus.
The other girls wore a hoodie, with usual long black pants.
Beside the succubus lady was an athletic man leaned on a broken lamppost, half of his face hidden under a translucent veil.
The remaining four men wore light stainless armor that only covered their chest, shoulder pads and knees.
And at the front stood someone Elian knew too well.
Alan. The D-rank Rook. His scar still sat across the right side of his face.
"Errand boy," Alan called. His voice void of any warmth. "And to think your weak ass survived. Are you also hauling the weight of this team?"
Elian's jaw tightened. His fist clenched, but he took a deep breath, plastering a fake smile on his face. "Hello, Alan."
Sun gritted his teeth as he held Elian's hand, whispering, "why is that Rook bastard rude to you? I shall cut his head off if you want."
"I don't think you'd even want his blood to stain your sword, Sun."
However, Alan's voice went higher, he pulled in the seductive woman close into a rough embrace. "We aren't here to fight. After all, there's an S-rank here with you. The aura stinks! But we have ours too!" He pointed to the veiled man. "He doesn't talk much but he's also an S-rank."
Aven stepped forward before Elian could respond, tone flat. "Since it's come like this… The West sector would belong to whoever clears it first. Unless you want to make it personal."
The half-succubus woman trailed her finger along Alan's chest as she leaned in, whispering something into his ear.
Alan smirked, he pulled off and took just a step closer to Aven. "Sure, that'd be fun. The team with the highest contribution points gets the Territory. And if we win, you and your team… will have to be our lackeys," his grin spread wider, "and ditch the errand boy. We can sign a contract if you want. Losers' who backs down gets permanent blindless."
Isn't that the most stupid thing to ever do?
Crix scoffed as he crossed his arms. He held a small clock watch in his hand. Fiddling with it. He said nothing for a while and then smiled. "Fine," he said.
"I was talking to your leader."
Crix's eyes flashed gold, his lips pressed thin, full on scowling as he stood right beside Aven. "I am the leader. A humble Merchant. And I'll prepare the contract. If that's what you want."
He pointed at Elian. "But I'm not trading that diamond. The bet's on the Territory. Only." If Crix knew another team would be confident enough to claim the beast infested West sector, he wouldn't even have tried coming here.
Elian nudged off Sun's tight hold on him. He forced another smile and nodded.
There's nothing that would possibly go wrong. The other team only identified Aven as the only S-rank. Crix is intelligible, the man never showed all his cards. Even with a half-succubus on the other board's side, it's not a trump card.
A half-succubi are fragments of demon constellations that got embedded into living humans. Mutating the host's Mana patterns by rewriting their physiology and emotional outputs. Black pieces half succubi are dormant. Unless triggered by a sin Blessing, they're nothing but a shiny trophy.
Elian's gaze darted to the female succubus. She sure was a beauty. He had never seen one in public. And by far he knew Alan. The man only wanted to show her off.
The weird competition may slow things down. But Elian knew, his team already won.
But neither did he know…
Before Alan's team: 'Red Halo' could sign the paper contract Crix created, a sudden ruckus shook the ground. A loud signal beep rang and both board's had to cover their ringing ears, wincing from the unsettling sound.
It rang for about 20 seconds then it died down… and suddenly, a childlike voice echoed through.
["Finally! I can speak!"]
The voice came from nowhere and everywhere. It was like two kids trying to talk through the same mouth.
The clouds overhead split, just enough for the faint glow of a massive blue iris to peek through.
Kykloi.
The new Sun and watcher of this Earth.
The giant eye rolled lazily above them, its pupil dilating as if amused.
[So, who shall start the massacre?]
Everyone gasped.
One member even fell onto the ground, screaming and covering his ears.
If Elian could recall, Aven had told him that Kykloi hated noise. And they had been making a hell of a loud ruckus.
Kykloi squinted its only eye.
[The noise was unbearable and trust me, I tried my utter best to ignore.]
It moved closer to them. [Do you want to hear the tales of a wretched man? I shall tell.]
[Six truths. Six lies. All I've heard and seen.]
It glanced at Aven amusingly. The man stepped back, his hand raised to shield his own team.
[Six truth the watcher must tell. You are hiding a secret from your friend.]
Elian turned to Aven. His curiosity deepened. What Secret? It bothered him.
Aven averted his gaze away from him. He gulped, his body trying the best to stand straight with his weak knees.
Kykloi then went to Alan's board.
[Oh my. You cheater! The succubus is unlucky.]
But then Kykloi stopped, as if in a trance. Everyone's breath still, afraid it might attack. But the giant eye only beamed.
[The advertiser lies here?! What a delight!]
[I shall spare your lives! Go meet them. Go. Go. Go!!]
The eye made a squelching stomach churning sound as it happily turned around.
[The advertiser shall tell the six tales of a wretched man!]
[Carry along with your bet! The monsters are only S-tiers!]