After killing several centipedes, Yushai shared the experience between Hanchu and Saigid.
[Hanchu: Level 169 Rank E]
[Saigid: Level 170 Rank E]
Yushai does not pryly observe the road that was at the top from the shore. The road was empty, but he stared intently, waiting for something.
Saigid watches the experience points from the kills accumulate, eyebrow raising in mild surprise as he sees their levels rise. He glances sidelong at Hanchu, eyeing the level disparity with a hint of disdain
"169, huh? Show-off."
As Yushai stares out at the road, Saigid' smirk softens to a bemused half-smile. He follows the other man's gaze, noting the tension in his shoulders.
"Waiting for something?" he murmurs, taking a step closer.
"The car"
Saigid smirk falters, confusion flicking to his face. He cocks his head, raising an eyebrow at Yushai.
The military car arrived and stopped right in the middle of the way. Yushai walked briskly to the car. Several armed soldiers got out of the car.
Saigid trails after Yushai, eyeing the armed soldiers warily. He keeps his hands stuffed in his pockets—playing it cool on the surface—but his gaze narrows, red eyes calculating.
One of the handsome soldiers looks at all three of them and asks:
"I am the commander-in-chief of this unit, my name is Lyrich. We've been informed that you have volunteers who want to help us stop these creatures. Just the three of you?"
"I'm a volunteer, I won't speak for them," Yushai stepped forward.
"And what exactly is going on? Where to volunteer?" Hanchu asked warily.
"President Fermiris, make a deal with the otherworldly creatures. He sold our world in exchange for something for himself, and then disappeared into a foreign land." the commander-in-chief said in a stern voice.
Saigid listens to the commander's explanation, eyes sharpening as he mentions Fermiris making a deal with otherworldly creatures
"The President? Trading away the whole damn world for personal gain." He glances sidelong at Yushai, a hint of disbelief in his voice "What the hell were the terms of this deal? And what the hell did he get in return?"
"Why are you interested in the contract?" asked Hanchu.
"so I don't have time to chat with you. Are you two dealing with us too or what?"
Saigid scoffs at Hanchu's question, rolling his eyes
"Of course I'm interested in the details. Only idiots make deals without knowing the terms and conditions."
He addresses the commander, smirk cutting across his face "Count me in. I'll help you deal with these creatures and this… President guy. On one condition."
"You squeeze it out, tell me your conditions," says the commander-in-chief.
Hanchu follows Yushai without explanation.
"this morning, we received a signal that there is one of the most dangerous long-range weapons in the warehouse of the Chwanho company. Our task is to destroy the entire warehouse if necessary. Is everything clear to everyone?" the commander-in-chief's voice burst out.
"Yes, sir," they all shouted in unison.
Saigid' smirk only widens as the commander lays out the task at hand
"Destroy the entire warehouse? Sounds fun," he murmurs, gaze flickering with anticipation
He nods, confirming his understanding "Crystal clear, Commander. Destroying the warehouse is the priority."
As the others confirm their agreement, Saigid glances sidelong at Yushai, the smirk on his face turning into a sly half-smile.
"This is shaping up to be an interesting day."
"We'll wait for the evening," he said calmly.
The military vehicle stopped. Another military vehicle was already parked at the place where we arrived.
"Greetings, I'm the commander-in-chief of the fourth squad. My name is Kakhich. As I understand it, you are volunteers and the fifth squad." says a man with a small beard
The commanders-in-chief shake hands. Next, everyone joins to observe from the hiding place to the warehouse. The warehouse was surrounded by people of different ages and physiques, but they were all very stooped and their shoulders almost touched the ground because of this. But the catch was that all these people had a huge mosquito on their backs. It's like this mosquito is controlling them.
Saigid observes the scene from their hiding position, eyes narrowing as he takes in the sight of the people with the giant mosquitoes on their backs.
He mutters under his breath, a hint of disgust in his voice "Gross. What the hell are those?"
Glancing sidelong at Yushai and Hinchu, he murmurs "Any idea how we're supposed to deal with these... things? Can't exactly just... swat them."
"or maybe we should try to catch some of these human mosquitoes first, and then attach these mosquitoes to our backs with duct tape. So we'll pass for our own.." said Hanchu very timidly.
One of the soldiers looked at Hanchu like at either a genius or a psychopath. Yushai doesn't take his eyes off the warehouse.
"There's about a hundred hundred and twenty of these things. It must be borne in mind that there are also people of the president"
Saigid turns to Hanchu, a slow, dangerous smirk spreading across his face.
"Cute. You want to tape a giant bloodsucking parasite to your back like some kind of twisted fashion statement?" He leans in slightly. "I'd pay good money to see that fail."
He glances at the warehouse again, voice dropping low — "But hgitinabbats's right. We can't just rush in blind. Hundred and twenty of those things… and President's men? Noisy." A pause. Then: "...Unless we make them distract themselves."
His red eyes flicker with mischief — power humming faintly under his skin.
"How about instead... I give them something else to scream about?"
"Surprise me," said the commander-in-chief of squad four
Saigid smirks, red eyes glinting with dangerous amusement as he meets the commander's gaze.
"Careful what you wish for, Commander."
In one fluid motion, he pulls off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves — faint traces of glowing energy beginning to coil around his arms like smoke. He steps forward, just enough that the dim light catches the sharp line of his jaw.
"I'll draw them out. All of them. The mosquitoes? They'll come running when they sense a meal — or a threat." A pause. Then softly: "And I really like being a threat."
He glances back at Yushai without turning fully. "Try not to miss me too much while I'm playing bait… again."
Without waiting for a response, he steps out from behind the cover, red eyes scanning the surroundings. He moves almost casually toward the warehouse — drawing attention with every step.
As he gets closer, the mosquitoes on the people's backs react, perking up and turning their heads toward him. A low buzzing fills the air, and the people — still zombie-like puppets for the mosquitoes — begin to shamble in his direction.
Earlier in the swamp
Before you become bait for an iron tower block, you must choose a sponsor to give you the ability. You can only choose one sponsor, so think carefully." said Yushai
Saigid considers the options for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly in thought as he mulls over the potential sponsors and their respective powers.
"Choose one... and just one, huh?" he mutters, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
His gaze flickers over the options, weighing the potential benefits and drawbacks of each.
Finally, he looks up at Yushai, eyes filled with a mix of seriousness and determination.
"All right. Let's roll the dice, hgitinabbats. Hit me."
"Okay, I'm going to hit your the abs. Are you ready?" asks Yushai, stretching his arms.
He clenches his fist and punches right into his abs.
Saigid barely flinches as Yushai punches him in the abs—instead, he smirks, placing a hand over the spot like he's savoring the impact.
"Is that all you've got, hgitinabbats? I've been tickled harder by dying wanderers."
But beneath his skin, something stirs. A pulse of dark energy ripples outward from the point of contact—his red eyes flash brighter for a split second.
The mark of his sponsor ignites unseen: Void Nexus – Parasite Contract. Not given. Taken.
He exhales sharply through his nose and rolls his shoulders.
"Alright. Now I'm really ready."
"What's the contract?" asks Hanchu.
Saigid glances over at Hanchu, eyebrow raised. The smirk returns to his face—this time, though, it's edged with something more than just amusement.
"My contract? Ah, the finer details are... private."
His eyes slide over to Yushai as if silently daring the other man to push for more.
"But let's just say... it's a bit more direct than most sponsorships. And it's got quite the appetite, if you know what I mean."
"what kind of ability did he give you?" The guy asked coldly
Saigid glances over at the man who asked the question, his smirk widening. His red eyes gleam with something sharp and cold.
"An ability? Well now, that's quite the question."
He tilts his head, as if considering how much he wants to say.
"Let's just say it's a unique sort of... absorption ability—one that's quite fond of taking the energy of others. And it gives me some… interesting benefits in return."
"let's say if I hit you with a strike force of '6000', how many of them can you stroke. And, get your interesting advantage." Yushai asked a little more calmly.
Saigid turns to face Yushai, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face. His red eyes burn with quiet intensity.
"6000 force? Cute." He cracks his neck to the side, energy beginning to hum faintly around him like static before a storm. "Let me put it this way—hit me as hard as you want, hgitinabbats. The harder you strike… the more I take."
He lifts one hand, fingers curling slightly as dark-red energy coils around his fingertips like smoke from a dying flame.
"My contract doesn't just absorb power... it feasts on it. So go ahead—break me." A whisper of a chuckle. "I'll only come back stronger."
Yushai struck. Hanchu watched in silence.
The full force of Yushai's strike thunders through the air, hitting Saigid in the stomach.
For a moment, he doesn't as much as twitch.
And then, slowly, slowly... a low, ragged chuckle escapes his lips, dark-red energy dancing across his skin.
His red eyes flash brighter. Sharper.
"Is that all you've got, hgitinabbats?" he growls, a sharp edge in his voice. "You'll have to hit a lot harder than that."
After that, Saigid falls forward straight. Yushai did not let Saigid fall face-first into the swamp. Saigid's unconscious.
"Well..... Acceptable. Is this a good result?" asks Hanchu.
"not bad"
Yushai easily catches Saigid, the unconscious man limp in his arms.
Hanchu's question hangs in the air as Yushai considers.
"Well…" Hanchu finally responds. "His absorption took the blow far better than I expected. He's surprisingly… adaptable. His sponsor may be dangerous, but he should prove useful."