Chapter 37: Absolute Black

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Absolute Black

Victor couldn’t blame himself for being so focused on escaping this place that he hadn’t considered all the opportunities he might have if he stayed a little longer. As Brika had said, the rewards for killing Penitents were pretty good, in retrospect.

Victor fell silent, reconsidering his options, and then asked:

"Just in case, do you have enough points to exchange for more flashbangs?"

"All you want, human."

"I see..."

Maybe they could repeat the same plan they’d used earlier. After all, all the Penitents of the Mist in that area were dead, and they had no way of informing their ghostly friends about the trap.

With the odds in their favor, Victor was beginning to see hunting these creatures as a pretty viable strategy from a competitive standpoint. If killing 12 Penitents had earned him 600 coins and 2 Luck Value points, what would happen if he killed around 100?

Just thinking about it sent a thrill down his spine.

"Then let’s do it. Let’s kill as many monsters as we can while getting closer to the next scenario."

Brika raised her pistol and switched on the flashlight.

"All set, Mr. Hope."

Victor let out a small laugh.

"Now that I think about it, where did all that pessimism of yours go? It’s strange not hearing you say we’re going to die."

"We’re going to die, there’s no doubt about that, but maybe it won’t be here. What do I know? I’m not someone who can see the future. I judge what’s around me to predict the outcome. If something looks impossible, then it’s impossible."

"Now it’s possible to move on to the next scenario. So let’s get ready and go kill those bastards."

"Yeah, man, your enthusiasm is disturbing."

Maybe it was. A little, sure. But with that kind of enthusiasm, Victor firmly believed this would be much easier than they’d expected. All they needed were a couple of ropes, the silver bell, and plenty of patience.

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Later, a flashbang exploded. The spectral forms of the Penitents of the Mist were revealed, and they screamed at the top of their lungs, consumed by pain and despair.

Hidden around the corner of one of the houses, Victor burst out and emptied his entire magazine into them. At the same time, Brika, holding the same position she’d taken during their previous assault on the Penitents, eliminated the specters trying to escape.

Bullet casings fell at Victor’s feet, and by the time the blinding light faded, the creatures’ corpses were scattered across the ground.

Their foul stench was unmistakable, as were the sinister skulls serving as the heads of these creatures of darkness. Brika took care of looting the corpses while Victor checked the System window.

’Only 400 coins. I mean, there were fewer Penitents than the first time, but that’s still pretty good. However, even though my ranking went up, my Luck Value didn’t.’

If he wanted to keep increasing his gacha system’s stats, he couldn’t waste time staring into space like an idiot.

"From here on, let’s keep looking for more Penitents and save the flashbangs for when we come across a large group," Victor said, helping Brika store the claws in the backpack he’d obtained earlier.

As usual, Brika didn’t say much. In fact, she didn’t say anything at all. She merely grunted and followed Victor’s orders like a soldier. The young goblin certainly wasn’t much of a talker.

From Victor’s experience, she always said only what was necessary at the time. Silence wasn’t a big problem for him, but sometimes it felt a little lonely being with someone who barely said more than she had to.

’I guess the difference between us is like the distance between heaven and earth.’

And he couldn’t think of a better way to describe the relationship they’d had since they first met inside that little house.

A few hours later, after encountering a small group of Penitents that they quickly eliminated, Victor and Brika came across a rather strange area of the scenario.

The farther they went, the darker it became. This time, Victor was carrying his torch in one hand, and its light barely reached more than three feet in any direction.

Brika frowned thoughtfully.

"I guess you can see it too," Victor said.

"I can barely see what’s ahead."

"I’ve noticed something else, too."

Victor tightened his grip on the torch. It was bothering him a little.

"My sense of smell is starting to fail."

The silhouettes of the buildings no longer appeared in his mind when he used his sense of smell to guide him. In fact, the scents were becoming harder and harder to detect.

"We’re probably entering a new area of the scenario, which means..."

"The difficulty has increased."

They’d had a pretty good time killing the few Penitents of the Mist they’d encountered nearby, but this was where the scenario became even more mysterious.

The two looked at each other amid the darkness. Without saying a word, they decided to keep going and see how far the darkness would lead them. And so they did.

With every step they took, the torch and flashlight illuminated less and less. The surrounding buildings no longer resembled the familiar structures of a medieval city. Instead, their walls were completely black, and several spikes made of the same sinister material jutted out of the ground, rising about six and a half feet into the air.

’Something’s wrong with this place.’

That much was obvious by now.

It was as if the entire place were made of "absolute black," a color that prevented even light from bouncing off it and revealing what lay beyond.

What was waiting up ahead? Perhaps neither of them could see anything at all, because nothing but that absolute black filled every corner of the scenario. And yet, somewhere deep inside, something echoed in the distance.

A brief heartbeat, like that of a dying heart.

"We should wait before going any farther," Victor said.

Brika nodded, but a different voice answered them.

"And why miss out on all the fun?"