The glow from her body intensified, the swirling dark energy cloaked by radiant streaks of light. Her hair floated unnaturally, caught in the pull of unseen forces. As Ichio and Livia watched, the weight of her presence grew oppressive, forcing the crowd to instinctively step back.
---
**The Valhallan Contractor
Unlike other Contractors who bargain with Devils or Spirits, she is different.
The Valhallan Contractor doesn't conjure or bind them—she contracts with their very power.
Without conjuring their forms, she wields their strength as her own.
For she bargains not with the entities, but with their essence.
---
The words hung in the air, heavy with revelation, as she raised one hand, pointing it at the five men before her.
One of them scoffed, stepping forward with a mocking grin. "Seriously? You're mad because we said you didn't have any friends? So what if you don't?"
Another chimed in, his voice oozing arrogance. "All we're asking is for you to join us and have some fun. And you're acting like some spoiled brat."
A third sneered. "Do you really think you can turn us down and just walk away freely?"
Her eyes narrowed, her voice cold and unyielding. "Time Ripple."
The world around them shifted. A strange distortion rippled outward, the very air seeming to bend and stretch. Everything slowed. Conversations became drawn-out echoes, movements reduced to sluggish blurs. Even Ichio and Livia could feel the unnatural shift, their hearts pounding in slow motion as they struggled to process what was happening.
Then, in an instant, it was over.
The five men were crumpled on the ground, groaning in pain, their faces pale with shock. No one had seen her move. The sheer speed of her attacks had rendered her actions invisible.
She stood over them, her voice dripping with contempt. "You're lucky this is a Safe Zone. If it weren't, you'd all be dead." She turned her head slightly, her piercing gaze scanning the crowd. "And for your information, I can sense my friends nearby."
Before anyone could react, she vanished.
Ichio barely had time to register her disappearance when she reappeared, standing right in front of Livia. The sudden motion left a faint breeze in her wake. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Livia in a tight hug.
"Oh, it's been so long!" Her voice softened, her icy demeanor replaced by warmth. "I missed you so much, Livia!"
Livia blinked in surprise before smiling and gently pushing her back. But as she looked closer, her expression shifted.
"Wait…" She murmured, her brow furrowing. "Misaki?"
Livia scratched her head sheepishly. "Oh, hey, Valkyrie. You should be calling me Livia now. I don't even know how you could use my actual name—after the merge, everything was set so players can only use their in-game avatar names, not their real ones."
She shrugged dismissively. "That's not what matters. So… you were Livia all this time, huh? And I never knew."
Livia smirked. "Yeah."
She tilted her head, her expression playful. "But I also sense Knox nearby… yet I don't see him."
Livia glanced toward Ichio and gestured to him. "Oh, that's him over there."
Her gaze shifted to Ichio, her eyes narrowing as she scanned him from head to toe. Her lips curled into a skeptical smirk.
"Huh? I don't think so," she said, crossing her arms. "This guy looks way too cold and dead in the eyes to be Knox."
Livia laughed, finally feeling validated. "Right? Finally, someone else sees it!"
Ichio, unamused, turned to Livia. "We should leave," he said curtly, his voice sharp and emotionless.
He started walking, and Livia quickly followed, leaving her behind. But she wasn't done.
"Oh no, you're not ditching me that easily," she said, falling in step with them.
As the trio walked away, the crowd, seemingly unfazed by the earlier chaos, began dispersing. It was as if nothing had ever happened, the memory of her display fading as quickly as it had begun.
Valkyrie followed closely behind, her energetic presence impossible to ignore. She clasped her hands behind her head and spoke casually. "Well, I think y'all already know this, but it feels right to say it anyway. Time for introductions."
Livia glanced at her curiously, while Ichio remained stoic, his steps unwavering.
With a bright smile, Valkyrie declared, "I'm Valkyrie Kahal of Infinite Ego. Most people know me as the Contractor from Valhalla, so, yeah. That's me."
She turned her attention to Ichio. "But, Knox—"
Ichio's cold glare cut her off. "It's Ichio," he corrected sharply.
Valkyrie blinked, momentarily surprised, before her grin returned. "Okay, Ichio. You can just call me the way you usually do, though. Sound good?"
Livia stifled a laugh, raising a brow at Ichio. "Seriously? Why are you acting so cold towards her? We all knew she was your favorite, and now you're acting like you don't even know her."
Ichio halted, turning to glare at Livia with a chilling stare that sent a shiver down her spine. "Sorry," she muttered, taking a step back.
Ichio resumed walking and spoke, his tone calm but direct. "Val, are you currently in any party?"
Valkyrie's eyes lit up. It was subtle, but the faint trace of happiness when he called her "Val" was undeniable. "Nope. I was kind of looking for the members of Infinite Ego, but the only ones I've found so far are you two."
She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Oh, but before I found you, I actually came across one other member. They're… different now, though. After the Merge, their Axion Class changed. They're an Alchemist now."
Ichio stopped in his tracks, his eyes narrowing. "Wait. You found one of the other members of Infinite Ego? And they're an Alchemist?"
Valkyrie tilted her head, puzzled by his reaction. "Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?"
Ichio shook his head once, his gaze resolute. "Take us to them. Right now."
"But weren't you headed somewhere?" Valkyrie asked, glancing toward the path leading to the arena.
"No," Ichio replied curtly. "We're not."
As they follow Valkyrie, Ichio's thoughts churned. 'Maybe this is why that man told me to go toward the arena. To find Val… and through her, the Alchemist. If they were part of Infinite Ego, it'll be much easier to gain their help.'
"Alright, follow me," Valkyrie said, leading them towards the arena with a confident stride.
As they approached the arena, Valkyrie glanced over her shoulder. "You know, I'm still surprised. You being Knox and all that… it's not exactly what I expected."
She turned her attention to Livia. "So, were you and him acquainted in the real world?"
Livia nodded. "Oh, yeah. You might actually know him too. He was friends with my brother. And a friend of my brother is a friend of your brother, right?"
Valkyrie's expression shifted as she pieced things together. "Oh, I see. That's who he is."
Livia sighed, her expression growing serious. "But there's a problem… our foolish brothers."
She went on to explain what had happened between Ichio and their brothers—how they had betrayed him and nearly killed him. The details were left unspoken, but the weight of the story was evident.
Valkyrie clenched her fists. "Sorry about that, Ichio. Don't worry, when I find my foolish brother, I'll knock some sense into him."
Ichio said nothing, his cold exterior betraying no reaction.
Finally, the trio arrived at the arena's gates, the towering structure glowing faintly under the sun of Luminaria. The energy in the air was palpable, they head inside and straight to the guild altar.
The trio stepped onto the altar, and the ancient glyphs beneath their feet began to glow with an eerie blue light. The light engulfed them, and when it faded, they found themselves standing in the middle of a desolate town.
Ichio's sharp gaze swept over their surroundings. The air was thick with tension, and the streets were eerily silent. Buildings stood in disrepair, their windows boarded up or shattered, and the faint sound of shuffling could be heard from behind closed doors. The oppressive atmosphere made it clear that fear had taken root here.
"What is this place?" Ichio asked.
"This is Floor 7," Valkyrie replied, gesturing to the desolate scene. "Welcome to Slave Con."
Ichio raised an eyebrow. "Slave Con?"
"Yeah…" Valkyrie hesitated, her usual cheer dampened. "This town used to have a proper name, but after the Merge, some male players… well, they took it over. They've been abusing their power, capturing female players, enslaving NPCs, and… worse."
Livia's expression darkened. "That's horrible."
"It is," Valkyrie said grimly. "When I found the other member of Infinite Ego, they were already here, trying to put an end to this. They've made progress—the slave trade has mostly stopped, at least on this floor—but this place still feels tainted."
As they walked through the town, Valkyrie continued to explain. "The player who stopped the slave trade here… they've changed. Don't expect them to be the same as before. I don't know if it's because their Axion Class changed to Alchemist, or if it's something else entirely. But they're the reason this floor isn't as bad as it used to be."
Ichio remained silent, his expression unreadable, while Livia shifted uneasily. The town's oppressive atmosphere seemed to close in around them with every step.
Finally, Valkyrie stopped in front of a house. Its exterior was unremarkable, but a strange aura seemed to emanate from it, an unsettling mixture of danger and secrecy.
"Here we are," Valkyrie said, pushing the door open.
Inside, the house was chaotic—a stark contrast to its plain exterior. Shelves were crammed with bottles of strange chemicals, some glowing faintly, others releasing faint wisps of smoke. Tools and equipment littered the room, alongside objects that seemed disturbingly out of place—restraints, sharp implements, and other items with dark purposes.
Livia clung to Ichio's arm, her voice trembling. "I don't like this. This place feels… wrong. Shady. I don't want to be here."
"Don't worry," Valkyrie said with a faint smile. "You'll recognize them when you see them."
She led the way down a narrow staircase to the basement, the air growing colder with every step. As they descended, a man's agonized scream echoed through the stone walls, freezing Livia in place.
"What was that?" she whispered, hiding further behind Ichio.
They reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a dimly lit room. The sight before them was horrifying. Bodies—male players—were strewn across the room, their forms grotesquely distorted. Severed limbs, bloated torsos, and twisted features made it clear that these men had not died cleanly. The stench of blood and chemicals filled the air.
In the center of the room stood a girl, her back to them. Her deep pink hair fell just to her shoulders, and though she wasn't particularly tall, her presence was unsettling. She was leaning over a man strapped to a table, infusing something into his body with a syringe-like instrument.
The man on the table writhed in agony, his body rippling unnaturally. His skin began to bloat and distort, his limbs twisting at impossible angles. He let out a gurgling scream as his form continued to inflate, becoming something grotesque yet disturbingly alive.
The girl turned to face them, an offsetting smile on her lips. Her eyes gleamed with a strange light, and her calm demeanor only made the scene more unnerving.
Ichio crossed his arms, his tone dry as he broke the tense silence. "Okay. This is something."
Livia gasped, stepping behind Ichio for protection. "I don't like this. I don't like her. Let's go."
The girl tilted her head, her smile widening. "Well, well. Look who decided to show up."
Ichio narrowed his eyes, stepping forward slightly to shield Livia. "You're the one Valkyrie brought us here for, aren't you? You're the Alchemist."
The girl chuckled, her voice lilting yet unsettling. "Alchemist, huh? I suppose that's what I am now."
Valkyrie cleared her throat awkwardly. "Uh, guys… meet Vitalia. She's, uh, our Alchemist. And, well, I did warn you she's changed."
She stepped away from the writhing man on the table, her movements graceful yet deliberate. "Oh, I haven't changed *that* much. I'm still me… just better."
CHAPTER END.