Figures

Yue Jingxui was surprised for a moment before realization hit him. As someone from one of the two royal clans, Smoke Without Fire's body was bound to be extraordinary. It should be taken for granted that she would possess enhanced senses that could allow her to detect others.

Suddenly, Smoke Without Fire startled as if she had heard something.

"Shit, move back! They're gonna knock down the wall!"

Before Yue Jingxui could fully register what she had said, a familiar throbbing feeling returned.

[There were three hunched people on the other side of the cavern wall. Their appearances were unclear in the dark, and what was visible was covered up by the ragged patches of monster hides they wore. Not even the gender of the figures could be made out.

The three figures stood in a loose line perpendicular to the wall, with the furthest figure taking a seat on the filthy ground.

The figure closest to the wall, who was much taller than their companions, looked at the wall pensively and spoke. Their voice was oddly distorted and even bordered on the verge of monstrous. "Are you sure they're behind here?"

The question was directed at the figure who sat down. It seemed that this was not the first time that they had been questioned, so they were a little annoyed.

"Enough. If you're gonna doubt me, why don't you just look at the artifact yourself?"

"Haha, calm down. I'm just making sure that we're at the right place. After all, if we fail, you're the one who's going to have to explain to the boss."

"Tch. Whatever, I'm positive that they're behind here, so just do your job."

"Yes yes~"]

The vision only lasted for an instant and Yue Jingxui immediately reacted the second he returned to the present. Holding Smoke Without Fire tightly to his back, he leaped to the other side of the cavern.

Just as Yue Jingxui jumped away from the wall and brought up his arms to shield himself, a thunderous crash sounded and the wall burst apart. The entire length of the wall collapsed and the cavern shook precariously. Countless wall shards flew through the air and rushed past him, some nicking Yue Jingxui's arms and legs.

"Oh? You guys reacted quite fast!"

A figure leisurely waved away the dust and stepped through the debris. Behind him, Yue Jingxui could hear Smoke Without Fire suck in a cold breath of air.

Yue Jingxui smiled warily. He couldn't blame her, after all, he also instinctively tensed the moment that figure stepped through the hole.

Personally experiencing something was in an entirely different dimension than just watching something. It wasn't clear in the vision, but with the figure standing right in front of him, Yue Jingxui was suddenly very clear about one thing.

This was someone who has killed at least thousands of people.

Despite everything, Yue Jingxui couldn't help but sigh. Even though he didn't know who exactly this person was, this oppressive feeling is really worthy of being the aura of one of the most unforgivable criminals in the world.

'It's just as I imagined. A boss who doesn't even need his own boss music to create a sense of fear.'

Activating his ability and focusing on the figure, a clearer image was projected into his mind.

[A towering, hunched figure with bulging muscles stood atop the debris from the collapsed wall, looking down at them with eyes that seemed as deep as an abyss. They wore the head of a monster and an amalgamation of different monster skins. The only part of them that was revealed was their mouth, which contained needle sharp teeth like those of the monsters Yue Jingxui had killed before.

Their eyes suddenly flashed, and the figure looked at him.]

"!!!"

Yue Jingxui's smile widened as his vigilance increased exponentially.

'This guy can actually tell when I'm using this ability. Looks like this ability wasn't as special as I thought?'

Having observed their reactions with cutting eyes, the figure didn't seem to mind that Yue Jingxui used his ability and let out a carefree laugh. "Oh, you don't have to be so tense. If I had really wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have known how you died~"

'That doesn't help!'

Although the figure acted so friendly, neither Yue Jingxui or Zhang Yin relaxed. In front of that gaze, it was like they were prey in front of a predator. Who in their right mind would relax in front of a dangerous predator?

However, after a second, Yue Jingxui straightened out of the defensive position his body had automatically assumed.

Despite knowing that they most likely wouldn't be able to see his expression, he still directed a pleasant smile towards the figure. "Hello there. May I have the pleasure to know who it is I am conversing with?"

Zhang Yin, who was tied up helplessly on Yue Jingxui's back this entire time, wanted to give him a slap. 'We're already in this situation, yet you still have the mind to make polite greetings???'

Even the figure seemed to be caught off guard for a moment before taking it in stride and guffawing. The sound was hideous like a hyena's laugh.

"Oi, brat! Don't you know that all of the people here are criminals that don't even deserve to die a peaceful death? You're really funny!"

Yue Jingxui let out an equally cheerful laugh. "Of course I do. I'm someone who was thrown into here too. But just because I'm in prison and talking with with prisoners doesn't mean I can forget my manners."

"Oh~?" It seemed that Yue Jingxui's response amused the figure even more and their oppressive aura abruptly increased, causing Yue Jingxui to tremble from the strain to keep standing. Cold sweat formed on his back and his breathing turned labored.

"Are you sure? 'Cause right now, it looks like you can't even stand in front of me~"

Although Yue Jingxui's face was almost turning blue from the pressure, he still bantered back. "What are you talking about? Can't you tell that I'm standing perfectly fine? Tsk, tsk. You haven't even answered my question yet. Are your eyes and ears perhaps unwell?"

Zhang Yin, who was suppressed until he couldn't speak, could only curse and shed imaginary tears in his mind. 'What the hell are you doing? Just shut your mouth! Aren't you just digging our graves deeper?! If you want to die, you can do that on your own!'

There was silence for a while. Neither Yue Jingxui nor the figure spoke as they looked at each other.

Finally, before either of them could break the quiet first, another distorted voice spoke up.

"Are you idiots done with your dick measuring contest?"

Breaking eye contact and pressure momentarily alleviated, Yue Jingxui watched as another figure stepped through the opening in the wall. Nimbly maneuvering through the debris, they stood next to the first figure and peered down at Yue Jingxui and Zhang Yin.

"I really don't know why you insist on this stupid 'initiation ceremony'."

Despite the fact that the second figure was looking at them, it was clear that their comment was directed to the first figure.

"..." The first figure mumbled something indignantly before slumping. "Why do you always have to ruin it? I've told you before, it's to test if they're good enough!"

Hearing what the first figure said, the second figure could only shake their head. "That's meaningless. Even if they don't pass your 'test', you still have to bring them back since that's what the boss wants."

"Tch. You're no fun."

"What kind of fun are you expecting in this hellhole?"

Before the first figure could say their comeback, the second figure already started to head back through the hole.

"Whatever, just hurry up."

"Hey, wait!" The first figure drooped and sulked before obediently retracting their aura. They gestured to Yue Jingxui and Zhang Yin. "Come on, let's not keep the lady waiting."

"..."

At this moment, Zhang Yin and Yue Jingxui were thinking entirely different things.

Zhang Yin: Why did it feel like he was a husband who just got scolded by his wife?

Yue Jingxui: Lady?

Finally breathing a sigh of relief after the pressure was lifted, Yue Jingxui thought about what just happened. It seemed like the first figure could be controlled by the second figure, who was a lady. Additionally, the first figure was most likely a man, but it was not good to assume.

He silently stored the information away for later just in case,

After calculating the possibility of a successful escape, he glanced at the demolished wall and quietly followed. Even though he could escape, he instinctive knew that he wouldn't be able to bring Smoke Without Fire along. Additionally, from their conversation in his vision, it seemed like they possessed some sort of object that can pinpoint their location somehow.

If escape was meaningless, it was better to just go along with them for now and find out what they want.

As Yue Jingxui trailed behind the first figure and climbed through the hole, he tensed as he felt two other gazes land on him.

He smiled and waved as he offered a greeting. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Zhang Yin, who was exhausted despite doing nothing but laying on Yue Jingxui's back, was about to give up. 'Is this guy obsessed with manners?!'

The third figure, who had stayed behind and never spoken, glanced at the first figure. The first figure could only shrug in response. Even without words and being able to see each other or each other's actions, their messages were somehow clear to each other.

'What going on with him?'

'How the hell should I know?'

Feeling that everyone had gathered, the second figure immediately got down to business. "Let's move."

The first figure instantly reacted and waved a hand to motion for Yue Jingxui to come closer. "Right. Come here kid, I'll get you up to date while we're walking."

Reluctantly walking closer, Yue Jingxui startled when the figure abruptly wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Zhang Yin, who was on his back, also rapidly backed away and almost fell off if not for the chains holding him there.

Finally, Zhang Yin let out his first peep since the figures showed up. "Woah!"

Immediately, all the figures stopped walking and turned to look at Zhang Yin.

Feeling all those gazes on him, Zhang Yin froze up.

"..."

The second figure turned towards the first figure.

"Oi, why didn't you say that there were two people?"

When the first figure heard this accusation, they immediately took off their arm from Yue Jingxui's shoulder and flailed their hands uselessly in front of their body. They blurted, "Hey, I definitely would have told you guys if I knew!"

The sarcasm in the second figure's voice was so tangible it could practically be felt. "So, you're telling me that you threw around your aura but still didn't manage to tell that there were two people?"

The first figure turned flustered. "N-no! I just, uh, they were just too close together! Since they were practically glued together, they just seemed like one extra large person!"

In a hurry to justify themself, the first figure continued. "Plus, didn't you stare at them for a minute? You also didn't sense that there was someone else!"

The atmosphere immediately turned chilly.

"...What?"

The first figure regretted their words right as they came out of their mouth and rapidly backpedaled. "No, no. I didn't mean that! I just, uh..."

As the the first figure continued to get criticized by the second figure, Yue Jingxui turned to the third figure.

"Should we stop them? We've already created quite the ruckus."

In response, the third figure merely flexed their arm and patted it reassuringly.

'... Alright, I guess that means "I'm strong enough to kill all the monsters that come"?'

Yue Jingxui shrugged. One person was happy to abuse, the other was happy to be abused, and the last was happy to watch. There was nothing he could do.

He turned around to talk to Smoke Without Fire for the first time since the figures appeared. "Are you going to get off now?"

Zhang Yin, who was still cautious of the others, shook his head and said in a low voice, "The entire reason I asked you to carry me was because I take damage whenever I'm on the ground. If you let me down now, I'll just have to ask you to carry me again later."

Yue Jingxui raised his brow. "I'm sure that you got a little stronger after killing all those monsters we encountered on the way. Aren't you part of the Phoenix Clan? They should have the [Fire Resistance] passive skill, yet you're still taking damage?"

Zhang Yin said helplessly, "I don't know what's happening either. Logically, my passives should be getting stronger as my level goes up, but it's still the same."

Suddenly, the distorted voice of figure one sounded from the side. "So, you're not immune to the heat?"

"!!!"

Zhang Yin whipped around and almost jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with the first figure. "Can you not do that!"

The figure laughed. "It's not my fault that you're scared so easily. If you have a problem, why don't you come down from your horse and talk with your fist~?"

"..." Speechless, Zhang Yin could only open and close his mouth before shutting up and turning around. "Sorry, I'm a pacifist."

When the figure saw Zhang Yin's reaction, they laughed uproariously.

Yue Jingxui, who was downgraded from a Ghoul to a horse, felt unjustly attacked. "...You were taking us somewhere?"

Suddenly, the second figure spoke on his other side. "You're right, so let's go now."

The corner of Yue Jingxui's mouth couldn't help but twitch after he felt Smoke Without Fire flinch when the second figure appeared out of nowhere.

Finally, with the first figure's arm once again around his shoulders, Yue Jingxui and Zhang Yin proceeded to head towards wherever the figures were leading them.