Chapter 674: [Bonus - 3/9] Body or Memory

Chapter 674: [Bonus Chapter 3/9] Body or Memory

This was the information regarding the debt repayment of the Weeping Ossuary.

Anyone who entered the Weeping Ossuary could not return whole.

They must leave something behind before they could escape this dreadful place, and the price was never something that could be easily ignored.

They either died or left a piece of their body behind.

Most of the time, none returned after entering the Weeping Ossuary.

It was a graveyard for the living, a place where those who wandered inside were slowly stripped of everything that made them who they were.

Many lost their lives, while others might have managed to escape, but only after sacrificing a part of themselves.

Whether they could continue living normally after such a loss was another matter entirely.

As long as one entered through the gate, their fate had already been decided.

The more Thoren processed the information, the greater his shock became.

His expression grew increasingly solemn as he read through the details, and a chill crept into his heart when he finally understood the meaning behind those words.

The Weeping Ossuary was not simply a dangerous ruin filled with cursed creatures and strange phenomena.

It was a place that demanded payment from every living being who dared to enter.

He explored the trenches, searched for valuable resources, and a way out that would allow him to leave the third floor and return to the surface.

Who would have thought that he would fall into such a situation?

He had survived the Ash Tide, fought countless dangerous beasts, and overcome the deadly restrictions of the trenches.

Even after entering the Weeping Ossuary, he had managed to survive the mourners and reach the Well of Grief.

Yet, after all those struggles, he discovered that reaching this place might not have been the end of his ordeal.

Instead, it seemed that he had only arrived at the point where the true price of his survival would be demanded.

Worse, retreat was no longer an option.

Thoren’s face darkened as he recalled the entrance framed by fused ribs.

He had already suspected that crossing that strange gate had somehow connected him to the Weeping Ossuary, and the information now seemed to confirm his suspicion.

Whatever rules governed this place, he had become a part of them the moment he stepped through that entrance.

He could not simply turn around and pretend that none of this had happened.

Taking a deep breath, Thoren slowly closed his eyes and forced himself to calm his complicated emotions.

His chest rose and fell as he drew the cold air into his lungs, holding it for a moment before releasing it.

The uneasiness in his heart did not disappear, but he gradually pushed the initial shock aside and focused on what mattered most.

Panicking would not help him survive.

He had faced situations where a single mistake could cost him his life, and this was no different. If anything, the danger was even greater because he did not understand the enemy he was facing.

The Tallykeeper had yet to attack him, but that did not mean the strange creature was harmless.

Thoren needed to understand the rules before making any decision that could permanently affect him.

Slowly, he continued to digest the information.

As he processed the details, he finally learned the true purpose of the mourners that had attacked his undead legion.

They were not merely cursed creatures wandering through the Weeping Ossuary.

Their purpose was to harvest his life and bring his skull to the pillar of skulls beside the Well of Grief.

The thought made his heart grow heavy.

All those mourners had been waiting to claim him, and if the Soul Lantern of Eternal Crypt had not acted on its own, he might already have become another skull among the countless others.

But death was not the only thing waiting for him. His grief would be devoured by the Well of Grief.

Thoren stared at the information for a long moment, unable to hide the complicated expression on his face.

He had seen the memories of a boy being abandoned by his own family and thrown into a deep well.

Now, he finally understood that the sorrow permeating this place was not merely an illusion designed to frighten intruders.

The Weeping Ossuary fed upon grief, collecting the suffering of those who entered until nothing remained of them but their skulls.

Fortunately for him, he had managed to survive and reach the Well of Grief.

Reaching this stage of the information, Thoren did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He had somehow escaped the mourners and arrived at the very place where his fate would be decided, only to discover that surviving the journey did not mean he would leave unharmed.

Shaking his head, he moved to the section concerning debt repayment.

According to the information, he could either use a part of his body to repay the debt or sacrifice a portion of his memories.

Both options were presented as acceptable forms of payment, but neither offered any indication of how much would be required.

As for the debt itself, he still did not know.

Thoren’s gaze lingered on the final lines, and a bitter feeling slowly settled in his chest.

He could lose a part of his body and live with the consequences, but the thought of sacrificing his memories was far more troubling.

’Should I fight my way out or not?’

The thought appeared in Thoren’s mind as he stared at the Tallykeeper, his gaze moving between the strange creature and the pillar of human skulls behind it.

He had no intention of surrendering a part of his body or sacrificing his precious memories to repay a debt he had never agreed to in the first place.

However, the thought had barely appeared in his mind when his instincts screamed at him.

Thoren’s expression changed as an inexplicable sense of danger surged through his body.

His muscles tightened, and a cold sensation crept along his spine, warning him against taking even a single step toward the Tallykeeper with hostile intentions.

The warning was so strong that he had never felt something of such before.

This was not due to fear or anything of that sort.

Thoren had faced countless dangerous creatures in the Abyss, and he had never allowed the mere presence of a powerful opponent to dictate his actions.

Even when confronted with enemies stronger than himself, he never had this feeling.

This was different.

The warning came from an instinct buried deep within his soul, something that seemed to recognize a danger his conscious mind could not comprehend.

Thoren’s fingers curled tightly into fists.

’Dammit!’

He cursed and gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress the rage that was consuming him from the inside out.

How could he accept something like that?

His body was the foundation of his strength, and his memories were the experiences that had shaped him into the person he was today.

’I don’t agree to this...’

His gaze remained fixed on the Tallykeeper, and the anger in his heart continued to intensify.

’I don’t...’

The words repeated in his mind, becoming more forceful with each passing second.

His eyes grew cold, burning with a fierce and almost reckless intent as he struggled to find a way out of this predicament.

He wanted to tear the ledger from the creature’s hands, destroy the pillar of skulls, and leave the Well of Grief without paying a single coin, piece of flesh, or memory.

Unfortunately, his instincts continued to warn him against making a reckless move.

’There had to be something I could use.’

Thoren’s mind raced as he considered the possibilities, unwilling to accept that his fate had already been decided simply because some strange ruin had declared it so.

Just then, a bulb lit up in his head as he thought of something.

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