Chen Guohao’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, as though he’d expected all of this from the beginning.
Makoto and Sakiko had caught up by now as well.
Hearing the group arguing, they immediately slowed down and peeked around the corner to observe.
Chen glanced in their direction but acted as though he hadn’t noticed them.
“So, what do you propose?
How do you want to revise the contract?” Seeing that Chen wasn’t acting forcefully, greed immediately flashed in Li Huizhen’s eyes.
She smiled.
“Our demands aren’t unreasonable.” “First, each of us gets back the reward we’re supposed to receive for clearing the mission.” “Then you take half of all Loot Drop rewards, and the rest of us split the other half.” “How about it?
That’s already showing plenty of respect for you as our leader.” From Makoto’s perspective, Li’s proposal wasn’t actually unfair.
If anything, she was still trying to placate Chen somewhat.
Chen was a veteran.
That much was undeniable.
It meant he almost certainly possessed trump cards the others knew nothing about.
Li might be greedy, but she wasn’t stupid.
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Chen merely twirled his revolver around his finger.
“I could agree to that.” “But do any of you have another Contract Parchment?” “If you don’t, there’s nothing I can do.” “Don’t tell me you expect me to pay for a new contract again.” “Setting aside the fact that I don’t have enough Mission Points to buy that many parchments…” “You want me to pay the cost of renegotiating too?” The smile on Li’s face immediately stiffened.
She had only considered whether Chen would agree.
She’d completely forgotten about the actual process required to change their agreement.
Even if Chen accepted her proposal, they objectively had no way to create a new contract.
So what were they supposed to do now?
Chen raised his chin slightly, as though everything was proceeding exactly as he’d predicted.
He sighed.
“You really are talented newcomers.” “How about this?
Once we return and I sell the Loot Drops, I’ll compensate each of you until you’ve received fifty percent of your share.” “That’s the greatest concession I’m willing to make.” “If you still refuse, then there’s nothing more I can do.” “And don’t forget, we’re still nowhere close to surviving this mission.” “If you want to start fighting among ourselves right now, I’ll oblige.” Park Jeong-ho quickly tugged at his girlfriend’s arm, signaling that the offer was already good enough.
Jack remained silent, though his expression showed that he was tempted as well.
Li still looked deeply dissatisfied.
“But how can you guarantee you’ll actually give us the rewards after we return to the Main God Space?” “You need to understand—I want security, not just a show of goodwill!” That made Chen laugh.
He shrugged.
“Security is something only your man can give you.” “This half-old man certainly can’t help with that.” The atmosphere instantly became even more awkward.
Seeing that nobody was paying attention to them, the Hasaba twins quietly climbed to their feet and tried to slip away.
Li flicked several Fukuzawa Yukichi bills from her hand.
The banknotes twisted in midair, transforming into bullets before striking the floor directly in front of the twins.
White smoke curled from the bullet holes.
The twins immediately realized that these people, despite seemingly possessing no Cursed Energy, also wielded powerful supernatural abilities.
As for why none of them emitted Cursed Energy, they assumed the group possessed some Cursed Tool or other method capable of concealing it.
“Did I say you could leave?” Li’s voice was ice-cold.
The two girls were their spoils of war.
What was the point of discussing how to divide the rewards if their prizes simply ran away?
Hasaba Nanako moved protectively in front of her younger sister.
Her eyes darted around as she desperately searched for some way to escape.
Then she seemed to think of something.
Her fingers slowly moved toward the box inside her pocket.
Li had already turned her attention back to Chen.
Gritting her teeth, she stared at his utterly shameless expression.
“Then you need to contribute more.” “You can at least kill these two sisters yourself, can’t you?” “Fine…” Chen sighed and raised his revolver.
With the pitch-black muzzle aimed directly at her, Hasaba Mimiko felt her heart leap into her throat.
Just as Chen was about to pull the trigger—An overwhelmingly ominous wave of Cursed Energy suddenly erupted.
It was as though a thermobaric bomb had detonated directly inside the corridor.
The crushing pressure made everyone struggle to breathe, and even the blood inside their bodies seemed ready to boil.
‘What is this?!’ The same question appeared in everyone’s mind.
But a second later, nobody had time to think about it anymore.
Countless Cursed Spirits began crawling out from the ceiling, floor, and walls.
The previously spacious corridor instantly transformed into a feast for Cursed Spirits.
The monsters frantically surged toward the Hasaba twins.
Naturally, every human standing in their path was attacked along the way.
Makoto and Sakiko had already developed excellent teamwork.
They raised their hands almost simultaneously.
Spatial Slashes and flames born from anger tore forward, instantly eliminating several Cursed Spirits.
Chen’s group wasn’t nearly as fortunate.
Kobayashi Yuu stumbled forward screaming.
“Monsters!
They’re all monsters!” Li immediately tightened her grip around the bills in her hand.
“Where?!
Where are the monsters?!” “Everywhere!
They’re everywhere!” Yuu frantically pointed in every direction with both hands.
He was telling the truth.
To everyone else, however, he looked almost completely insane.
Li had no time to scold him.
She raised her hand and fired banknote bullets into every empty corner around them.
This indiscriminate storm of money was the last shred of trust she was willing to place in Yuu.
But what happened next exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Every single bullet struck something.
Purple blood sprayed in all directions.
In an instant, the entire corridor became a cavern dripping with blood.
‘What the hell is happening?’ Everyone’s minds—including Chen’s—briefly went blank.
Why did the entire corridor suddenly seem to be made of Cursed Spirits?
Had they somehow wandered inside the stomach of some gigantic curse?
Or was Yuu really telling the truth?
Were Cursed Spirits genuinely packed into every corner of this place?
Jack suddenly screamed.
A Grade 2 Cursed Spirit shaped like a heavy truck smashed him away with a single swipe.
The riot shield in his hands shattered instantly.
Jack crashed into a nearby wall.
Blood erupted from the muscles across his entire body as countless muscle fibers snapped.
Even his heart stopped under the overwhelming impact.
Only then did Jack realize the greatest weakness of his Talent.
‘The human heart…
is muscle too!’ No wonder a Talent that had seemed so absurdly powerful to him had received nothing more than a pathetic D-rank evaluation.
“Sa—” Jack only managed to force out a single syllable.
The swarm of Cursed Spirits descended on him and tore his body into bloody pieces.
By now, the others finally understood.
Kobayashi Yuu hadn’t been wrong.
Cursed Spirits were everywhere.
“Everyone, get down!” Li Huizhen screamed in terror.
She pulled out two enormous handfuls of Fukuzawa Yukichi bills and hurled them in every direction without hesitation.
In an instant, Li herself seemed to transform into the eye of a bullet storm.
The deafening sound of air being ripped apart erupted all around her.
… Read 10+ chapters here!