Please support me on Patreon, where you can read a bunch of extra chapters, not just for this novel, but for all the novels I'm working on. I upload at least 2 times daily for each novel.
Patreon.com/ThatGreatStuff
******
On this nearly deserted street, Bochang watched as Sampo departed. Then, quickening his pace, he returned home and gathered Dan Heng, Star, and March 7th to recount his encounter with Sampo once again.
In the living room,
March 7th, seated on the sofa, clenched his fists and said, "That guy Sampo came after you again? He's truly like a persistent haunting spirit."
Dan Heng furrowed his brows deeply.
"Strange... How would Sampo know we were investigating Stellaron?" The stoic little azure dragon felt that they had been sufficiently cautious. Did Bochang or the others... or perhaps March inadvertently leak information?
Bochang shook his head. "I'm curious about that too... Stelle and I only mentioned Stellaron in front of Serval; we haven't spoken about it to anyone else."
"Why are you all looking at me? Uh... surely you don't suspect me of leaking information?" March 7th disdainfully flicked his short pink hair near his ear. "I've been busy taking photos these past few days and haven't even mentioned the word 'Stellaron' once."
Dan Heng's expression conveyed that it was as expected.
Bochang retorted, "You clearly haven't done anything, so why are you acting so proud?"
The smile on March 7th's face vanished...
Stelle wore a thoughtful expression.
"If none of us have leaked any information, then how did Sampo find out?"
"I'm not sure," Dan Heng replied. "For now, this isn't crucial. What matters is... should we agree to deal with Sampo? What are your thoughts?"
"Sampo, well... honestly, I don't trust him much." Bochang shook his head. "If possible... I'd prefer to gather intelligence ourselves, although it might be somewhat troublesome."
"I took the opportunity earlier to ask Serval about it," Bochang continued. "I learned that she was expelled from the Architects precisely because of her research on Stellaron. She likely knows its location, but she mentioned that within the Architects, Stellaron's secrecy level is very high... So, she didn't reveal much information about it.
"Even mentioning Serval's background raised her suspicions. Fortunately, she's no longer part of the Architects; otherwise... they might have interrogated us rigorously to find out how we knew about Stellaron." Bochang shrugged with a touch of humor.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but envision Serval clad in leather, wielding a whip—a fierce and spirited older sister shouting, "Will you confess or not!"
«Why am I feeling inexplicably excited for a moment?» Bochang shuddered, «It's not like I'm into masochism.»
Both Stelle and March 7th chimed in, "We'll defer to you; it doesn't matter for us."
With the two girls abstaining, the decision now rested entirely on Bochang and Dan Heng.
The stoic little azure dragon pondered for a few seconds.
"I think it's best not to involve ourselves with Sampo. He's too peculiar, as you've mentioned before, Bochang. He was waiting just outside the city specifically for us. I suspect his intentions are likely malicious."
"True," Bochang agreed, "but... I'm quite keen on unsealing the passage to the Upper Underworld. The situation there, as described by Sampo, piques my interest... As the righteous Astral Express Crew, we cannot simply stand idly by, right?"
Of course...
Bochang's desire to unseal the passage to the Upper Underworld stemmed primarily from wanting to meet Clara, Seele, and others again. Mentioning the righteous Astral Express Crew was merely to resonate with March 7th and the group's sense of duty.
Dan Heng nodded. "Bochang, I understand your point now. Essentially, you're saying... we won't collaborate with Sampo, but still need to find our own way to unlock the passage to the Underworld?"
"Exactly."
That was precisely Bochang's idea.
Stelle spoke up, "If we aim to unlock the passage to the Underworld, wouldn't it be more straightforward to cooperate with Sampo? Wouldn't that make things easier for us?"
"Hmm, Stelle has a valid point," March 7th agreed, nodding along.
However, Dan Heng shook his head. "We can't approach it that way. We don't know enough about Sampo. What if he is merely using Stellaron as bait... to trap us? How would we handle such a situation? Don't forget, here... Stellaron is considered highly confidential."
"Oh... you have a good point there. But if Sampo intended to frame us, couldn't he have done so already once he learned we were investigating Stellaron?"
March 7th tilted her head slightly, tapping her fingertips against her cheek.
"I'm not sure," said Dan Heng. "Perhaps Sampo doesn't have decisive evidence yet and needs to lure us into his trap, or maybe we're overthinking it... Regardless of the situation, it's best to avoid any contact with him. It might not necessarily benefit us, but it certainly won't bring harm."
"Exactly, I agree with that assessment," Bochang concurred.
Thinking deeply was quite troublesome. Just pondering for a moment left March 7th with a headache.
"You guys decide then." The pink-haired girl chose to stop ruminating further.
The group of four discussed briefly in the living room and agreed on a plan to handle Sampo.
Tomorrow, regardless of who encounters Sampo, they must firmly reject him while also conveying that "we will find our own way to open a passage to the Upper Underworld; as for other matters, we don't require his assistance."
After their conversation, everyone went off to rest.
Since Bochang hadn't practiced his marksmanship today, he didn't feel the need to take a shower. The rock performance alone had minimal physical impact on him; at least, there wasn't much sweating involved.
After a quick wash and freshening up, Bochang entered his room and began to inventory his items for the first time in a while.
Currently, within the system space, he had: a three-star Destruction Light Cone, Clara's chemise, delicious crab roe buns, Jim Rogers' Bread-flavored Soda, a teleportation ring, and the newly acquired black bear mask.
The three-star Destruction Light Cone was obtained long ago, but without unlocking its associated fate path, it remained unusable.
Therefore...
Bochang hadn't utilized it until now and currently had no plans to do so either. He decided to wait until activating his fate path before considering its use.
"Come to think of it... recently, none of the options have involved opening my fate path..."
With these thoughts lingering briefly, Bochang retrieved the black bear mask from the system space.
It was an iron mask, entirely black and resembling a genuine black bear's face.
Just holding it, one could almost feel the creature's breath.
With nothing else to do, the curious black-haired youth put on the black bear mask.
Instantly, a surge of power flooded his senses. He felt significantly stronger, not just physically but across all attributes, as if they had been enhanced.
However, strength seemed to have received the most significant boost.
Upon wearing the black bear mask, Bochang experienced a near doubling of his overall might.
Contrary to the system's enhancements, the temporary boost from the black bear mask was quite crude. Bochang found he couldn't control this newfound strength precisely. After briefly experimenting, he removed the mask and set it aside.
At that moment...
The door gently creaked open.
Stelle peeked out, clutching her pillow, and asked softly, "Bochang, can we sleep together tonight again?"
[Dating Options activated.]