Time Flies

"Should I just sew your lips shut if you won't open them for an answer anyway, Arlott?" 

A smooth palm traced the curve of Arlott's cheeks, which appeared sunken and cut in several places. 

Arlott coughed and woke up from his daze after feeling her touch, but he just kept his eye on her face, not bothering to open his mouth to reply. 

He wasn't sure how long it has been since he got unlocked the marketplace, but with his IP nearing the 2000 mark, Arlott knew that the time he spent here was not meager. 

In every few, days he was forcefully fed disgusting water that tasted like feces, and had to eat the loaf of bread that was already soiled with mould. 

Such foods wouldn't instantly kill him, and will also keep him alive all the while making his life miserable in the underground. 

Arlott raised his head and saw the biggest cause of his agony. 

Lady Zordian. 

Arlott still remembered the oath he took on his name to give a worst death to Xavier, but after seeing Lady Zordian, he felt even if he gave such fate to her, it was way too easy. 

His oath to Xavier was the worst death he could imagine for his enemy, but the death he wanted for Lady Zordian was above that.

He didn't just want her to suffer and die, he wanted her to suffer eternally, just like she made him suffer. 

"The expression on your face looks rather delectable, Arlott." Lady Zordian, sitting on a plush cushioned chair, crossed her legs and looked at Arlott in amusement. 

Arlott spat on the floor and raised his head to her, before looking back at the spit. He curled his lips into a smirk. 

"Hahahaha, so cute, Arlott. You are so cute." Lady Zordian burst into laughter after seeing him taunt her. 

Arlott turned away from her and focused back on the empty spot in the air, just like he used to every single damn day. 

Sometimes Lady Zorian felt like there might be something in the air, but after Arlott slept, she did a thorough search and found nothing. 

The expression on his face, and the focused look as he gazed into the air. This reminded her of her late husband, who used to do the same sometimes. 

'Curious.' Lady Zorian narrowed her eyes and kept studying Arlott's movements. 

Oblivious to her interest, Arlott kept reading through the entire Marketplace while marking the items he deem as important. The marketplace was practically infinite, containing the arrays of items that Arlott believed to be extinct. 

But obviously, their prices were way out his poor budget. 

'2 regeneration. 1 strength. 1 iron spear. 1 pain killers. 1 healing.' 

Arlott made a list of his selected items and then commanded his system to check out the total price. 

Luckily the system operated by his thoughts, rather than control from hand or voice. 

[ 2 Regeneration Potion: 500 IP each = 1000 IP

1 Strength Potion: 200 IP

1 Iron Spear: 150 IP

1 Pain Killers: 400 IP

1 Healing Potion: 250 IP

Total: 2000 IP ]

Soon, Arlott received the bill for his purchase. 

He then glanced at the Lady Zorian who was also staring at him. 

Arlott clenched his fist and turned away. 

'Wait… Wait, Arlott. Patience is the key…' He consoled himself, 'Revenge is best served cold.' 

***

And as thus, Arlott had to wait for 3 more hours till Lady Zorian got up from her seat and walked away. 

Xavier soon appeared and sat on Lady Zorian's seat while looking at Arlott with a tinge of annoyance as well as amuse. 

"It has been so long now, bastard. Why are you still so stubborn?" 

Arlott creased his brows slightly and mouthed some words, but due to the poor health of his voicebox, he was unable to speak much louder. 

"What?" Xavier frowned in annoyance. 

Arlott opened his mouth and mouthed some other words, but the voice was still too low to reach Xavier. 

Annoyed, Xavier began to search for his salt but Arlott hurriedly interrupted him by clanking his metallic chains on the edge of his chair. 

Xavier glanced at Arlott, who appeared to be on verge of tears. 

Arlott pitifully made a gesture, which seemed like he was calling Xavier closer. 

"Ah whatever." Xavier sighed slightly and walked closer to Arlott, "Finally ready to take the name?"

Arlott nodded with an insecure and pained expression on his face. 

"About time, brat!" Xavier grumbled. 

'Buy!' 

As soon as Xavier had arrived near Arlott, Arlott commanded the buy function of his marketplace and in a split second, the items he bought began to warp reality and appear out of thin air. 

Arlott's grip tightened on the metallic spear with his right hand while his bottles of potions fell on the floor, but luckily none broke. 

"WHAT THE- ARHGGHHHH" Xavier screamed when he saw the spear appear out of thin air, but before he knew it, the spear had pierced through his stomach and sliced it with a huge gash. 

The blood leaked and his flesh bulged out of the deep gash.

Arlott threw his head back and laughed heartily while Xavier clenched his stomach to stop the bleeding. 

With a wave of his spear, one leg of the chair was broken and Arlott fell on the floor with his body leaning on his left arm. Though this was within the plan, as Arlott carefully angled his spear towards his handcuffs, shattering them with a single thrust. 

After another spear thrust, Arlott was finally free. 

He crawled towards the fallen potions, picking up a red coloured flask and gulping it down directly. 

By this time Xavier had already fallen on the floor and passed out due to blood loss. 

"It will hurt." Arlott braced himself for pain, but then realized he had also bought the pain killer, so he popped the pill into his mouth instead. 

"AAAAGH!" 

Despite being used to pain, the pain he felt right now was even worse than the torture by Lady Zorian. This was the affect of a 500 IP potion AFTER USING A 400 IP PAINKILLER?

Won't this potion straight up kill a commoner from mental shock if it is used on him?! 

But forgetting the pain, Arlott felt his entire body being rebuilt. The gashes on his body were beginning to close, his amputated leg stumps began to grow, and his eyelash grew again, before the reconstruction of his other eye started. 

During the process, Arlott downed another regeneration potion to maximize the effectiveness. 

After 10 minutes, the entire process was finished and Arlott was back to his feet, looking at the unconscious Xavier on the floor. 

He was still alive. Arlott made sure that he WOULD stay alive. A swift death was too big of a blessing. 

With a kick on his stomach, Arlott stepped on Xavier's face. 

"I never break my oath, Xavier. I will give you the death and burial that you really deserve." 

A grin crept up Arlott's lips.