Chapter 50 - Earth Intermission - 17
An hour later...
Vesper and Alanna exit the peculiar mansion and return to their car. Alanna resumes her position in the driver's seat, sinking into it with a long, exhausted sigh. Vesper's expression is somber as he settles into the passenger seat.
"I'm sorry," Alanna apologizes, her tone sincere. "I thought a fellow comrade from our faction could assist us, but it ended up causing you trouble."
"It's alright," Vesper responds with a dry laugh. He reflects on the deal he struck with Orca and closes his eyes momentarily. "At least I gained some information, a new identity, a bit of cash, and a potential network of allies."
Alanna's smile is bittersweet as she starts the car, offering reassurance. "I'll handle the PIA situation. You focus on the notebook. Also, Orca cannot be trusted. He is using us."
"I know."
From the deal, Orca instructed them to eliminate the person depicted in the portrait, but he offered no additional information apart from some notes scribbled on the back of the photo. In addition, Orca reclaimed Annette and pledged to hand her over to Vesper following the completion of the assassination mission.
Despite the unsettling task, Orca did provide Vesper and Alanna with some provisions, including a substantial amount of cash, essential starting items, and a few runes. However, all these items are in Alanna's possession since she's the only one with access to the portable inventory system. Vesper still needs to acquire his own storage unit to access his inventory system.
Vesper's attention turns to an A5-sized notebook lying on his lap. Its worn brown leather cover hints at its age, possibly over a thousand years old. Despite its appearance, or perhaps because of it, Vesper runs his fingers over the cover with a sense of familiarity. Opening the first page, he scans the ancient handwriting in a foreign language.
Although he faces language barriers, Vesper's hand glides over the papyrus paper, almost as if he's connecting with its history. His left eye, ever keen, guides him to the first word, and his mind effortlessly deciphers the unfamiliar script.
.
I've lost count of how long I've been stuck in this Hell. I've lost count of the humans I've killed. I've grown numb to murder. I don't know when a survivor will turn the tables on me and kill me in one of the death games, but I can't simply stretch my neck and let them kill me. Otherwise, who will save me from this godforsaken place?
Because of my free time, I write as a hobby, but that stupid hobby ended up becoming the only thing that protects my sanity. I don't expect my little analysis book to be helpful to anybody. But if someone were to read this, I hope you find your salvation in this godless land. If you are still waiting for a god to help you, I'm sorry. You should abandon that naivety and throw away your hope. God doesn't exist, only devils do.
My name is Chris, a coward who left his brothers to death.
.
Flipping to the next page, instead of finding a table of contents, Vesper finds the first chapter. It doesn't have an organized template like modern books as it starts as a diary or a journal.
Alanna glances at Vesper and warns him.
"Can you even read those? Those are old French."
"Somehow, I can read this," Vesper mutters and continues deciphering the notebook.
.
The Supreme Judge and the Supreme Protector are lazy and irresponsible. They always blame us, men, for everything whenever troubles arise. Also, because of their laziness, I've come to understand their behavior.
The Supreme Protector abduct bandits, corrupted priests, arrogant nobles, and cocky knights and send them to this place once a week. The Supreme Judge manages trials to punish them, and the Supreme Saint offers salvation to the repentant people who regret their actions.
The trials are the same every time. It starts with the tutorial round where the Supreme Saint teaches the evildoers what they need to do during the trials. Those who listen have an advantage over the others, while the ignorant ones? Heh, they always get what they deserve!
After the tutorial class come the real trials. If the abducted evildoers survive three death games hosted by the Supreme Judge's subordinates, the survivors may return home to spread the gospel to become a better man! Those who die will find their souls trapped in Hell forever, like me. Well, it's not that bad if I consider the Supreme Judge's generosity. He's fair, kind, and honorable.
The hunter side consists of only one grim reaper, but they have miraculous powers that can summon accursed wights and traps to kill the evildoers. Since it's the first trial, the Supreme Judge only deploys new hunters or trainees to gain experience.
As for the other side, it is fated to damnation. That side is as neglected as dirty starving orphans in the alleys. So far, they usually forced two to four evildoers to form a team and trapped them in a dungeon. They had only one job - escape. Well, it's not like they had a chance. The chance of surviving and completing the first trial is quite low. On average, for every thousand men entering the dungeon, only 100 survive.
We, the hunters, can lay traps and prepare the dungeon in advance. There are limits to how many traps we can use before the damned men arrive. But as the stage progresses to the second and the third rounds, we can use more traps or employ mercenaries. We really love them because of their god-like strength.
Speaking of mercenaries, it's a lucrative job for old-timers like me and my brothers. We earn a mountain of credits every time those greenhorns request our aid due to their incompetence. Sadly, each kid can only employ one of us once a week. Otherwise, I would have been rich.
.
The diary mentions mercenaries, traps, and dungeons, which piqued Vesper's interest. He asks Alanna.
"Is the first trial the same every week? The book said the hunter hosted three death games in a row for the first trial."
While looking at the road, Alanna responds, "I haven't hosted the first trial for 400 years, so I don't know if they still repeat the same custom. But the last time I hosted the first trial, I had a dungeon. It was a simple barn with a secret underground level."
"Please tell me more."
"Yeah, I was planning to teach you that when we get back. Unlike the tutorial stage when you faced me alone, a team of four survivors was sent to a campfire. The judge who oversaw the district forced the survivor team to run away from the dark forest, and the stragglers were killed. When they exited the forest, they were abducted to the dungeon, where they would take the first trial."
Alanna's eyes light up, and her previously stoic demeanor completely changes. Now, she resembles a child eagerly talking about her favorite toy.
"When I completed the tutorial, I was granted an empty parcel of land to develop. Since I couldn't return to Earth at that time, I had a full week to construct my dungeon. I can still remember the time when I exploited my summoned zombies and ghosts and forced them to create an underground maze. By the time Sunday came around and I faced a team of four survivors for the first time, my dungeon was a sprawling landscape of pitfalls and trenches. I had no choice but to lure them into stealing the hidden rune and let me join the combat. It was quite a chaotic experience."
As Alanna reminisces about the past when she was a newbie, she deeply sighs and thinks about the modern days.
"To be honest, you were quite brave. When I was a survivor, I couldn't do anything during the tutorial. After I died twice, I hid in a closet for the entire game until the hunter found me and forced me to join the hunter's side."
Vesper raises an eyebrow, imagining the scenario in his mind. He recalls Alanna's age and remembers a terrifying fact about the period.
"Did they take advantage of you?" Vesper asks in a concerned voice.
Alanna grins, "The hunter at that time was a skeleton. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't."
"Ah, you were lucky."
"Yeah. At that time, most female survivors were treated like sex slaves. Even during my early days, some hunters tried to have a shot at me. Fortunately, a senior legion commander formed a female hunter unit and took me in. But in the end…"
Alanna's eyes well up as she recalls the good memories she had with her past comrades. She stops talking.
Noticing how Alanna becomes emotional, Vesper changes the subject.
"So, we have money, ID, and some resources. What's our next move?"
Alanna wipes the tears from her eyes, her expression solemn.
"I almost forgot. There's a known meta that the grunts and new hunters are exploiting. I'll teach you a strategy to counter it."