Chapter 63: I see… the feelings have faded

The room fell silent.

Boyang didn’t respond.

Instead, he scanned the six people in front of him.

His gaze was sharp, like a predator sizing up its prey, which made Dancing Elephant and the others visibly uncomfortable.

But since they were in the middle of negotiations, no one dared to lash out.

Boyang finally looked away, but he was secretly surprised.

These six weren’t low-level players—and all of them were wearing equipment from that alchemy workshop.

Aside from Dancing Elephant, the other five were all wearing scattered pieces of gear.

It was clear they had traded materials for the equipment.

‘This team isn’t simple…’

‘They can be used.’

“Cooperation isn’t out of the question,” Boyang said seriously.

“But you’ll all have to follow my lead.”

As the saying goes, there can’t be two tigers on one mountain—unless one is male and the other female.

“That’s absolutely impossible!” said the female player Xingyue, who was rather good-looking.

Her voice was firm and decisive.

‘What a joke. There’s no way I’m following the orders of some stranger.’

The other four also spoke up to reject the idea.

“So there’s no room for negotiation, then?” Boyang crossed his arms and spoke with an expressionless face.

Just by standing there, he gave off an overwhelming sense of pressure.

“Not necessarily,” Dancing Elephant said.

The five teammates behind him immediately looked confused, their faces showing a hint of disappointment.

‘As the team leader, how can he back down now of all times?’

“Let’s settle who leads with our fists,” Dancing Elephant continued, his tone shifting dramatically as he stared down Boyang with full intensity.

The two locked eyes, both wearing cold expressions.

It felt like sparks were crackling in the air between them.

At this point, the negotiation was essentially over.

What came next would be a battle between leaders.

The winner would lead the merged team.

That’s what everyone assumed.

***

But the outcome shocked everyone.

“Very good. I like your spirit—you’re qualified to work with me,” Boyang said calmly as he lowered his hands.

Dancing Elephant’s brows furrowed slightly as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

But he quickly dismissed them all.

He didn’t sense any danger from this collaboration.

“Then let’s have a good partnership,” Boyang said, extending a hand.

Dancing Elephant reached out as well.

Before their hands could meet, Boyang suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulled him forward, and completely broke his balance.

Then Boyang turned, preparing to throw him to the ground.

Xingyue and the others tried to rush forward, but it was already too late—everything had happened too fast.

Dancing Elephant was mid-air, about to crash to the floor.

But in that critical moment, he didn’t panic.

Clenching both fists, he twisted his body, using his strength to forcefully break free from Boyang’s grip.

Then he kicked off the wall, spun around, and countered with a powerful roundhouse kick.

Boyang didn’t dare take the hit head-on and quickly dodged out of the way.

Dancing Elephant landed lightly, showing no intention of pursuing.

The two of them turned around, their expressions cold and distant.

“Not bad,” Boyang commented.

“You too,” Dancing Elephant replied calmly.

So it was just a test.

Xingyue, who had been worried they might actually start fighting, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

In truth, she didn’t really want to cooperate with Boyang’s side.

But if Dancing Elephant had decided to work with him, then so be it.

She would follow her lead.

Ayu glanced at Xingyue, then looked toward Dancing Elephant, who stood tall in a suit of black armor, appearing noble and imposing.

Jealousy surged in Ayu’s chest.

He clearly knew that romance at a time like this would only be a burden—to both himself and the team.

But emotions weren’t something that could be easily controlled.

Boyang and Dancing Elephant sat down on the ground and began discussing how to make it through the final phase of the beta test.

Feeling like he was about to explode, Ayu quietly left the house, needing some time alone.

Xingyue noticed him leave but said nothing.

***

Elsewhere, Mu Ling appeared in the underground sewer of Mo City.

It was remarkably clean, as if it had never been used.

Water flowed through the canal—this was river water diverted from the moat, primarily used to carry away the city’s waste.

Even though the sewers were no longer in use, everything was still functioning as intended.

Mu Ling said nothing.

With her horizontal blade in hand, she moved quickly along the edge, her eyes occasionally scanning the water.

She was clearly looking for something.

Glug glug…

Suddenly, a strange noise echoed ahead.

In the empty sewer, it was especially noticeable.

Following the sound, Mu Ling saw a gray-black octopus head rising from the water not far ahead.

Its head and submerged body were covered in numerous bright red eyeballs.

Most people, upon seeing such a grotesque creature, would get goosebumps all over and feel their scalp tingle.

“Damn octopus freak!”

The moment she laid eyes on it, a cold killing intent flashed in Mu Ling’s eyes as her blade was drawn in a crackle of electric light.

The creature had also noticed her at the same time.

Excited, the octopus monster floated to the surface like a dandelion drifting on the wind.

Its movements weren’t fast, but it gave off a strange and suffocating pressure.

Perhaps it was all those blood-red eyeballs.

Mu Ling lightly tapped the ground with the tip of her foot and shot forward like a black bullet.

Seeing its prey coming straight to it, the octopus monster swelled with delight, its body expanding from small to large, tentacles writhing in anticipation.

A mouth full of razor-sharp teeth opened beneath its body.

Before it could act, a black shadow was already upon it.

It was Mu Ling.

Her speed was terrifyingly fast.

Blade flashes burst forth, and the octopus monster was instantly sliced into a dozen pieces.

There was a loud splurt as blood sprayed everywhere.

Mu Ling had already withdrawn to the side.

Not a single drop of blood had touched her.

The monster’s body fell to the ground in pieces, still twitching, as if refusing to die.

Mu Ling didn’t even look at it and turned to leave.

Suddenly, the eyes on the octopus’s severed body parts gleamed ominously.

Then, those body parts eerily floated up and shot toward Mu Ling like arrows.

However, before they could even reach her, they mysteriously dissolved into gray-black slime and splashed onto the ground.

“Embracing death is your only true end,” Mu Ling muttered as she continued forward.

These octopus creatures weren’t weak.

If it had been another player, that surprise attack might have succeeded.

Too bad it had encountered someone wielding the divine weapon [Silent Edge].

No one could survive being cut by that blade.

“As long as there’s still time, I must eliminate all of these octopus monsters. Otherwise, they’ll become a disaster later!”

Mu Ling didn’t sheathe her sword.

Her icy, beautiful face now carried a hint of urgency.

There was a reason.

This sewer system was incredibly complex.

Trying to hunt down and kill every octopus monster that slipped in was nearly impossible.

But she had no choice.

Because not killing them… simply wasn’t an option.

***

Inside the city—

Ayu turned back, staring at the house in the distance with disappointment.

“Not a single person cared that I left…”

He spoke softly, his voice full of bitterness.

Then, without another glance, he walked away from the area, looking for a quiet place to “heal his wounds.”

A patrolling automaton slid past, completely ignoring him.

That made him even more annoyed.

‘Even the robot doesn’t acknowledge me? Got it. This is what being useless feels like!’

Uselessness is a sin.

Ayu suddenly understood that.

Just then, a voice came from ahead.

“Lost lamb, do you seek guidance?”