The banquet hall in Whiskey Peak was filled with the smell of roasted meat and the clinking of glasses. Silas sat in a corner, his eyes half-closed but his hand never leaving his hip. Kai, on the other hand, was at the center of the celebration, surrounded by laughing men and women.
"Drink! Eat! You are heroes!" the mayor, Igaram, shouted with a booming laugh.
Kai raised a cup of ale, but he didn't drink.
Through his [Soul Vision], the room looked entirely different. The colorful clothes were gone, replaced by the flickering purple and grey lights of the bounty hunters. Each one of them was waiting for the 'heroes' to pass out from the drugged drinks.
[Ding! Soul Scan Complete.]
[Number of Targets: 42.]
[Average Soul Value: 2-5 Soul Coins.]
[Detection: Sedative 'White Dream' detected in the beverage.]
'System,' Kai thought, a cold smirk touching his lips. 'If I consume these souls without killing them, will the mission count?'
[Answer: Yes. A Level 3 Trader can 'Harvest' spiritual energy through touch. The targets will remain alive but will fall into a coma for 48 hours.]
"Is something wrong, young hero?" a beautiful woman in a blue dress—Miss Wednesday—asked, leaning closer to Kai. Her soul was a strange mix of blue and violet, flickering with a conflict Kai didn't yet understand.
"The drink is fine," Kai said, standing up and placing his hand on the table. "But I prefer a different kind of vintage. One that's been aged in the heart."
Suddenly, Kai's golden eyes flared with a blinding intensity. He activated [Soul Blade: Area Resonance].
The violet light didn't manifest as a blade this time. Instead, it flowed out from Kai's hand like a wave of mist, sweeping across the banquet hall. One by one, the bounty hunters frozen mid-laugh. They didn't fall; they simply went stiff, their eyes rolling back as tiny wisps of their purple souls were pulled toward Kai's palm.
[Ding! Harvesting in progress...]
[+2 Soul Coins... +3 Soul Coins... +5 Soul Coins...]
"What... what is happening?" Miss Wednesday gasped, drawing a pair of sharpened rings. She was one of the few still standing, protected by her own strong will.
"The party is over," Kai said, his voice echoing with a haunting power. He looked at his balance, which was ticking up like a slot machine. "I told you, Mayor. I don't just fight. I trade. And tonight... you're paying the bill."
[Total Souls Harvested: 38.]
[Balance: 124 Soul Coins.]
[Notice: Level 4 Shop Upgrade is now mandatory to handle the excess energy!]