Rewards

Bang!

The doctor showed no mercy to his former nominal leader. He simply pulled the scalpel back out of Falmu's chest, and blood gushed from the wound. Falmu collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless.

No one would have expected the gang leader who ruled Black Cave—a man of such stature—to die in such a way. So simply, at the hands of one of his own.

Though, was he really one of their own?

No, no.

"You dared to hurt such a beautiful body with those filthy, ugly bullets. Die! Die, you bastard! Hahahaha!"

After doing all this, Doctor Loka threw his head back and laughed.

Fortunately, Falmu was already dead. Otherwise, if he'd learned that Doctor Loka had decided to kill him just because he'd fired those three shots at Irin, he would probably have died with his eyes wide open.

What's more, killing Falmu was only the beginning.

Next, Doctor Loka grabbed a heavy machine gun from who knew where and began spraying the Kalleva members who'd attacked Irin and Liao Ji earlier.

"Die! Die! Anyone who dares show disrespect to the Creator and the goddess, go straight to hell!"

Rat-tat-tat!

Only when the overheated muzzle glowed red and could no longer fire, and not a single gangster remained standing in the vast factory, did Doctor Loka seem to have completed his mission.

And then—

Thump, thump, thump!

The man in the gray coat hurried over to Irin. He was so excited that he even tripped and fell on his last step, but Loka didn't care—or rather,

it was just right.

Like a little dog coming to beg for praise, he bowed his head low, almost touching the ground, then prostrated himself at Irin's feet in the most abject manner imaginable.

"Please forgive me. Forgive the ignorant fool I was before. After seeing your elegant and beautiful form, I finally understood that there really are humans in this world who can blend so perfectly with Corrupt Calamity."

"Heavens! What a perfect affinity with Corrupt Calamity! What an unparalleled work of art!" The man in the gray coat was nearly incoherent. No matter how many words he used, none seemed enough to express his excitement.

He began repeatedly slamming his head against the ground, like the most devout of believers.

"You must be a god. You must be the Saintess herself. Would you please accept my repentance? Would you let me... touch you, just once? Even for a moment!"

"You're the Corrupted I've dreamed of, the Corrupted who exists only in my theories, the one who can coexist perfectly with Corrupt Calamity! Please! Let me... let me experience that perfection too. Just once. Even your toes would do!"

Loka muttered to himself, trembling. But it wasn't fear that made him tremble—it was exhilaration. He excitedly reached out to touch Irin's ankle. There wasn't a trace of lust in his eyes, only the purest form of obsessive pursuit.

Unfortunately, before his hand could reach her, Irin frowned as if she'd seen a maggot, raised her heel high, and brought it down hard.

Crack!

That was the sound of the bones in his palm breaking. Doctor Loka's pained scream followed immediately.

"Ah!!"

The man in the gray coat's entire hand was twisted out of shape under Irin's deliberately forceful stomp. Large, bruised patches quickly spread across it. It was all but ruined.

Yet after his initial, instinctive scream, Doctor Loka—now sweating profusely from the pain—seemed not to be suffering mentally at all. Quite the opposite: he was delighted. He grinned, somehow managing a sincere smile in this situation, his eyes filled with fervor and fascination as he gazed at the shoe pressing down on his hand.

"Th-thank you! Thank you for the goddess's... reward!"

Doctor Loka even put his other hand beneath Irin's foot, gazing at her with a look of yearning.

Irin did indeed raise her foot again.

But this time, she wasn't aiming for his hand. She was aiming for the man in the gray coat's head. The disgusted girl now understood that to a deranged pervert like this, any extra gesture counted as a "reward."

Just as the furious Irin was about to kick Loka's head in, Liao Ji hurried forward and stopped her.

"C-Creator!" The gray-coated man was so overwhelmed with joy that he nearly fainted. He shouted with all his might, trying to express his adoration for Liao Ji.

After all, if Irin was a flawless, beautiful work of art in Doctor Loka's eyes, then Liao Ji was the sculptor—the creator of the artwork he'd dreamed of.

Loka was infatuated with the girl. He yearned to touch and admire this work of art.

But the young man was a supreme being, someone to look up to and revere. He was the creator of his goddess, the Creator who stood above even the gods!

"Shh."

Liao Ji crouched down and held a finger in front of his lips, signaling Doctor Loka, who was still sprawled on the ground, to quiet down and not get so worked up.

The man immediately nodded vigorously and shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

After all, this was an order from the Creator.

No, he should say that receiving an order from the Creator was an honor.

"Tell me, was a nun brought here around noon or this afternoon?"

"Yes! She was! I personally took part in the experiments on her. Over the past few months, she was one of the few who managed to withstand high concentrations of Corrupted Reagent and remain lucid! It's truly incredible. The Corrupt Calamity contamination in her body had far exceeded the safe limit, but she still managed to hold on for six years. I suspect it has to do with her blessing as a nun. The more devoted someone is to the Saintess, the more likely they are to gain a mysterious ability to resist Corrupt Calamity. She also—"

In response to Liao Ji's question, Doctor Loka was like a student answering a teacher, racking his brains to report everything related that he could think of.

Meanwhile, the expression on Irin's face had already changed several times. When she first heard that the woman had been treated as an experiment subject, her heart had nearly shattered. But fortunately—

"Enough. Answer my next question. Is she still alive? Where did you take her?"

"Alive!"

Doctor Loka's first word let Irin breathe a sigh of relief, but the second sentence that followed instantly made her feel as if she were suffocating.

"At least, she was still alive when we handed her over to the Church!"

T-The Church...

Irin froze at the word, but Liao Ji wasn't particularly surprised. He nodded and continued questioning him.

"Tell me about the Church. How did they collude with Kalleva? What other secrets do you have?"

"The Church excavated two Great Emperor's Relics from the Relic Cave. The priest gave one of them to our Kalleva, and told us to use that Scarlet Star to keep supplying him with experimental subjects, so he could study the other, more advanced and powerful Great Emperor's Relic."

"So... this factory of yours was only one link in the production chain. You first processed ordinary people, selected those with the potential to become Corrupted, and then sent them to the Church as advanced experimental subjects?"

"Y-yes, Creator!"

"I see. I understand." Liao Ji nodded thoughtfully.

"Good. Unless something unexpected happens, my next question will be the last."

"No! No, no, no! I'll answer any number of questions for the Creator! I'll do everything in my power for you! It's my honor, it's my—"

Hearing that Liao Ji was about to end the questioning, Doctor Loka grew anxious and excited again, until Liao Ji gave him another gesture to be quiet.

"Tell me, what is the 'Relic' the priest from the Church has?"

"I-I'm sorry! I'm damned! I deserve to die! Creator... I-I don't know the specifics either. They're extraordinarily secretive about it. After asking around many times, I only managed to catch a few rumors. All I know is what the 'Relic' looks like. It seems to be..."

"A Great Emperor's Relic shaped like an Emblem!" A look of remembrance appeared in Doctor Loka's eyes.

The moment Liao Ji heard the description, he knew what it was.

So it was the Brand.

The Brand was part of the Corrupted development system in the game, under the broad category of "equipment." Unlike ordinary external gear like swords, guns, and the like, Brands were equipped "internally." They provided Corrupted with all sorts of buffs and special effects. In a game with a cultivation setting, they'd probably be equivalent to internal cultivation techniques.

The details in Falling were very well thought out, so the Brands took different forms for different races. The human race's Brands looked like emblems, just as Doctor Loka had described. The Machine Race's took the form of chips, the Spirit Forest Race's were runes, and the Orc Race's were totems.

He just didn't know whether the Brand unearthed by the Church was a "set" or a "single piece." If it was a "single piece," then was it the "top," "middle," or "bottom" part? And what did it do?

Since Doctor Loka couldn't even figure out the lowest-grade Corrupted Source Essence, Liao Ji didn't expect him to answer any of those questions.

Having learned what he wanted to know, Liao Ji stood up.

When Doctor Loka saw him about to leave, he hurriedly scrambled after him on all fours, begging him desperately.

"Y-you're leaving? Please, take me with you! Let me stay by your side and serve you! I-I can be your assistant. I'll do anything for you! I only ask that the Creator allow me to learn from you. Even if it's just for a year... a month... no, no, a week would be enough!"

Loka had become Kalleva's chief doctor and developed the Corrupted Reagent, a Corrupt Calamity technology that would still be considered impressive five hundred years later. His abilities were undeniably formidable.

His current, abject behavior didn't mean he lacked influence.

With Loka on board, taking control of Kalleva would be easy. That alone would indirectly put most of Black Cave Settlement in their hands.

Behind the young man, Irin hesitated several times as she watched, but in the end, she said nothing. She pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze to the floor.

After all, she had no right to interfere with Liao Ji's decision.

As for that—

Liao Ji didn't refuse Loka. Instead, he seemed to think it over first, then opened his palm toward the mad doctor.

He wasn't offering to help the doctor up.

Rather—

A spiral of red mist rapidly rose from Liao Ji's palm. It spun faster and faster, then grew denser, until, in the space of a few blinks, it had completely transformed from a "gas" into a "solid."

Under Doctor Loka's stunned gaze, a brand-new, dark-red crystal appeared out of nowhere and floated above Liao Ji's palm.

[Corrupted Crystal (Small)]

That's right. After Irin finished clearing out the Kalleva factory, the enormous experience gain had taken Liao Ji straight to level seven.

Not only had he gained an additional "Contract" slot for a Corrupted, he'd also unlocked a new power for the protagonist: "Crystallize."

Liao Ji could now use his experience points to manufacture Corrupted Crystals. For now, though, he could only make small ones.

"Creator... wh-what is this?!"

"It's for you."

"Mm, consider it a reward."

Liao Ji wasn't lying. He did as he'd said, casually tossing the newly made [Corrupted Crystal (Small)] to Doctor Loka on the ground.

The man in the gray coat scrambled to catch it, overwhelmed by the honor.

He didn't notice that the moment it left Liao Ji's hand, the dark-red crystal began radiating Corrupt Calamity contamination violently into its surroundings. All of his attention was now absorbed by the marvelous crystal.

In just a few seconds, the red mist emitted by the crystal had seeped through Doctor Loka's nose, ears, mouth, and even eyes, permeating his entire body. He might have been a great scholar, but he was an ordinary person himself. The result of being exposed to such a high concentration of Corrupt Calamity was obvious.

"Ugh... Aaaaaah!"

At last, Doctor Loka—the man who had forcibly turned countless innocent ordinary people into Corrupted Corpses—became one himself, clutching his most cherished, most dreamlike treasure.

Liao Ji thought it was a rather fitting end for him.

"Why are you still standing there?" Liao Ji's urging voice brought Irin back to her senses. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn't recovered yet.

The girl raised her hand and brought her blade down, swiftly and cleanly finishing off Doctor Loka after he'd become a Corrupted Corpse.

[Beep. Your Corrupted, "Irin," successfully killed [Fallen Mad Doctor Loka]. You gained 329 experience points.]

[Current Level: Lv7]

[Experience needed for next level: 412/1200]

"Mm, looks like I've found another decent shortcut to leveling up. Turn those powerful people into monsters with the crystals, then kill them. Back and forth, it's like making something out of nothing. I can rake in a nice pile of free experience."

"Uh, though it does sound like something a villain would do. Never mind. I'd better not use this trick unless I have no other choice. Yeah."

Liao Ji was a rather stingy person. Experimenting was one thing, but Doctor Loka had stolen the experience from killing Falmu and a bunch of gangsters. Liao Ji figured he ought to make him cough it up.

Meanwhile, hearing the young man start muttering to himself again, saying things she couldn't understand,

Irin couldn't hold back any longer and asked the question she'd been keeping to herself for a long time.

"I-I thought you would..."

"What? Actually take him on as a subordinate, or give him a Contract like yours? Do you think he deserves one?" Liao Ji asked in return.

"He..."

Of course he didn't deserve it. Irin knew that very well.

And that was precisely what led to another question in the girl's mind.

Did she deserve it?

From the moment she and the old relic entered Kalleva's factory to the moment it ended, Irin recalled the introduction Liao Ji had given back in the Relic Cave.

That simple introduction of just seven words: "I am the Ash Emperor."

By now, Irin was sure that even she couldn't be blind enough to miss that Liao Ji really had been some incredible figure five hundred years ago. The crystals, the Relics, and that miraculous Contract all proved it.

And was it possible—just possible—

that the old relic had been telling the truth?

He... he really was—

Irin didn't dare think any further.

And what was she? A tomb raider? A scavenger? Someone who had even once pointed her sword at Liao Ji? Watching the leader of Kalleva die and the doctor turn into a monster, Irin felt that the fact she was still alive was a miracle. It really was...

"Hey, Miss Irin, stop overthinking it. Even if you regret it now, it's too late. You've eaten up so many of my resources; I'm not letting you go. At the very least, I've got to squeeze the rest of your value out of you."

Liao Ji spoke harshly to the girl, looking every bit like a mean, miserly landlord. Irin was briefly speechless. Then she lowered her head and fell silent for a moment before quietly murmuring two words.

"Th-thank you."

"Hey! You're making me want to start a class on how to mess with people's heads."

Liao Ji shook his head.

"Let's go. I have a feeling your aunt is still alive and well, and she's definitely fine, but we should hurry anyway."

Irin wanted to say that they were dealing with the Church, which was completely different from a gang like Kalleva. She didn't want to drag the young man down because of her again.

But looking at the unconcerned expression on Liao Ji's face, Irin realized that while the Church—the largest and only official power in the Holy Kingdom—was a colossal force in her eyes, to the young man standing before her,

it really was

nothing to worry about?

This is nice... this sense of security.

Irin nodded and moved to follow Liao Ji, but before she could take another step, she suddenly felt lightheaded. Her vision quickly went black, and she toppled toward the ground with a thump.

Fortunately, Liao Ji reacted quickly and grabbed the girl.

After a quick check, Liao Ji relaxed.

It wasn't anything serious. Maybe it was because she'd just advanced to Danger Rank, then fought through a fierce battle with her nerves taut the entire time. Once she finally relaxed, her exhausted body had simply given out, and Irin had fallen unconscious.

Thinking it over, it really was frightening. So much had happened in just half a day, from the moment the girl had "dug up a grave" to now. No wonder Irin had finally hit her limit. Was this some kind of... curse that came with tomb raiding?

Liao Ji shook his head.

All right.

I told you to lie back and let me carry you, and you really did "lie down."

Still...

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

There were a few things coming up where bringing Irin along would only be a hassle. After learning that the Church was involved behind the scenes, the nature of the matter had changed for Liao Ji. This was no longer simply a matter of "rescuing someone."

"The Church, huh?"

Muttering to himself, Liao Ji carried the unconscious Irin toward the factory exit. But halfway there, he stopped, because he'd almost forgotten.

"Mmph! Mmmph!"

In a secluded corner, a bound and gagged gangster stared in terror at the young man approaching him.

It was the greasy old gangster who'd brought Liao Ji and the girl into the factory to "mooch some soup" at the very beginning: Artur.

"Um, what was your name again? Artur what? Sorry, I've forgotten, but thanks. It's thanks to you showing us the way and telling me there was a 'Relic' inside that I was able to wipe out this whole factory as a reward. How's that? Pretty decent of me, right? Now you won't have to earn dirty money against your conscience anymore!"

"Waah, waah, waah!" Artur, his mouth stuffed with a rag, wept bitterly as he shook his head frantically.

It was obvious that he didn't seem to like this reward very much.

Liao Ji sighed with deep regret.

"Hey, don't be so nervous. Everyone here is dead now, and you're the only one who can prove I did the right thing by helping out. I'm not the kind of person who does good deeds without wanting credit, so I'll be counting on you to put in a good word for me with the Knights Order!"

"By the way."

"Could I borrow your phone to make a call?"