"Say… do you know where they found that pack of monsters?"
Xavier's voice broke the heavy silence of the forest as he continued dragging the old man across the dirt.
The bald man's body jerked every time his wounded legs scraped against random rocks and roots, but Xavier didn't loosen his grip.
"You were the one who dragged them to us," Xavier continued calmly. "So you must know."
He pulled harder on the man's injured leg, forcing another pained groan from him.
"So tell me."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Where is their lair?"
The bald man stayed silent.
His lips trembled, but no words came out.
Xavier glanced down at him, studying his face. Even through the fear and pain, the answer was obvious. The man knew exactly where the monsters' den was.
He just refused to say it.
Xavier let out a slow breath.
"If you don't tell me where it is," he said coldly, tightening his grip around the injured leg, "then I'll just keep dragging you until we find it ourselves."
The sudden pressure on the wound made the bald man gasp in pain, but he still didn't answer.
Inside his mind, he had already made his choice.
No matter what I do, I'll die anyway…
If he told Xavier where the monsters' lair was, Xavier would feed him to them.
If he stayed silent, he might die from blood loss while being dragged through the forest.
Either way, death was waiting.
At least this way…
Being dragged around hurt less than being torn apart by monsters.
So the bald man clenched his teeth and remained silent.
Xavier saw the stubborn look in his eyes and understood immediately.
A faint, humorless smile appeared on his face.
"Suit yourself."
Without another word, he continued dragging the man deeper into the forest.
Just as the silence returned—
More notifications suddenly burst across Xavier's vision.
Seeker of Fortune:
"Enough with the silence, guys! The thrilling part is gone already!"
Defier of Fate:
"But hey, I enjoyed the earlier show! Shutting beep**beep** (Observer of Malice) up was worth it. I knew he would interrupt everything."
Seeker of Fortune:
"For real. One hundred thousand coins just to enter this channel isn't cheap. Silencing beep**beep** (Observer of Malice) was a good choice. I have to see whole of my moneys worth!"
Defier of Fate:
"I knew this would be good. An exclusive channel on the first day? This was bound to be epic."
Seeker of Fortune:
"You don't know how fast I clicked when I saw the notification that the GM contracted someone!"
Sovereign of Wind:
"The Awakening Gift the GM sent earlier wasn't cheap either. That's the best starter package we can buy for new contractors. I wonder where the GM even got that many coins."
There was a short pause before the constellation continued.
"But anyway… when is he going to kill him completely?"
Another messge cut in.
Tyrant of Blazing Flame:
"Are you an idiot? He's the GM. What do you think happens to the money we all spend here?"
[The constellations Tyrant of Blazing Flame, Seeker of Fortune, Defier of Fate, and Sovereign of Wind burst into soft laughter.]
Tyrant of Blazing Flame:
"But yeah, I can't wait anymore. Just kill him yourself already."
Xavier stared at the glowing messages floating in front of his face.
They're back again…
He had wondered why they suddenly went quiet earlier.
Turns out they were just watching.
The constant stream of notifications began stacking on top of each other, flashing across his vision every few seconds as the constellations continued chatting.
It was starting to get really annoying.
Every time one of them spoke, a new message popped up right in front of his eyes.
Blocking his sight.
Interrupting his thoughts.
And the worst part was that he barely understood half of what they were talking about.
Coins.
Channels.
Contracts.
It all sounded like some strange game he had been thrown into without explanation.
Still…
Something about the situation felt strange.
Xavier's eyes narrowed slightly as he kept walking.
My own sponsor…
The Constellation of Gates.
The one who gave him the sword.
The one who granted him all those skills and buffs.
Since sending those gifts earlier—
It hadn't said a single word or notifications.
Not even once.
While the other constellations kept talking nonstop, his supposed sponsor remained completely silent.
Xavier looked at the notifications again.
What is he thinking?
Is he expecting something from me?
The thought lingered uncomfortably in Xavier's mind while the bald man whimpered weakly, his strength fading as blood continued to drip along the forest floor. His breathing had grown shallow, his earlier screams reduced to broken sobs.
Xavier barely glanced back at him.
Instead, his gaze lifted toward the deeper parts of the forest.
The trees ahead grew thicker, their branches intertwining and blocking most of the sunlight. The air there felt heavier, colder somehow, as if something dangerous had settled in that part of the dungeon.
Then Xavier noticed something.
Not far ahead, partially hidden behind tangled vines and jagged rocks, was a dark opening carved into the side of a hill.
A cave.
Xavier's eyes narrowed slightly as he slowed his steps.
Behind him, the bald man lifted his head weakly, his eyes wandering toward the entrance. The moment he saw it, his body stiffened almost instinctively. Even through the pain and blood loss, there was a flicker of recognition in his expression.
Xavier noticed it immediately.
The man's reaction was subtle, but it was enough.
A small hunch formed in Xavier's mind.
So they really were on the right track.
He followed the old man's gaze back toward the dark entrance of the cave, the silence around it feeling unnaturally heavy. Cold air drifted out from the opening, carrying with it the faint scent of damp earth… and something far more unpleasant.
So this was where they had come from.
The monsters' lair.