Chapter 230 Partners in Darkness (2)

"You’re someone who looks out for his own interests, Ethan. You keep whatever benefits you and suits your needs close to you, and throw away whatever you no longer need."

"That’s why I admire the way you play."

"And why I’m trying to learn from you."

"That’s enough... Stop talking. You’re giving me a headache."

Ethan gritted his teeth as he confronted the madman standing before him.

"Don’t lump me in with you. You and I are nothing alike..."

"Oh, come on, Ethan. Don’t try to deny it. You know perfectly well that we’re the same... Far more than you realize."

Verso began circling Ethan, speaking with that same cheerful smile on his face.

"We’re both players who came from another world."

"We both bear a cursed mark placed upon us by one of the Night Lords."

"What else, I wonder? Ah! We even share the same goal: beating the game."

"We’ve even got the same surname, Heart... See? We’re practically identical."

"Remember, Ethan. Remember... Didn’t that four-eyed guy make you a promise too? That he’d grant you anything you wished for once you finished the game?"

"Did you catch that last part? Once you finish the game... It’s a game, Ethan. Beating it will let us get what we want in the real world, not here."

Leaning close to Ethan’s ear, Verso continued whispering his poison.

"Admit it, Ethan. Admit it!!"

"Admit that deep down, you think exactly the same way."

Verso’s words slipped effortlessly past Ethan’s defenses, like the whispers of a silver-tongued devil.

Verso wasn’t merely a deranged murderer.

He was someone who knew exactly what he wanted, and knew just as well how to get it.

A man willing to do absolutely anything to win, who wouldn’t hesitate to stain his hands with blood as long as there was something to gain.

Ethan quickly found himself losing the battle of words.

His reasoning had no effect on Verso, who could counter every argument Ethan raised because he genuinely regarded the world of Ordeal as nothing more than a game.

Ethan, on the other hand, couldn’t refute some of Verso’s arguments.

Because deep down, he knew they were true.

He really did see most of the people around him as mere characters in a game.

He hadn’t gone so far as to kill them every day like Verso did.

But he found himself wondering...

If he’d been cursed with Gluttony instead of Balance, would he really have refused to kill?

Ethan didn’t have the courage to answer that question.

Killing humans was no longer much of a problem for him, especially now that his Demonic Body was gradually stripping away his humanity.

Lowering his head, Ethan’s eyes unconsciously drifted toward the corpses of the mother and her son.

’If I keep walking down this path... a path where I slowly lose my humanity, will I eventually become a monster who kills in cold blood?’

’Just like Verso?’

Ethan shuddered at the thought.

Especially when he realized that perhaps he’d already become that monster...

And was simply refusing to admit it.

With those dark thoughts invading his mind and Verso’s relentless whispers continuing beside his ear, Ethan finally reached his limit.

He raised his mechanical Legion Arm directly in front of Verso’s face.

Iron plates unfolded from either side of the arm, spreading outward like a bow preparing to launch a projectile.

At the end of the extended plates, the Explosive Stake emerged, ready to detonate at any moment with a single command from Ethan.

He fixed Verso with a murderous stare.

"That’s enough... I’ve heard more than enough of your bullshit."

One look was all Verso needed to understand that Ethan meant every word.

If he uttered even one more word, that explosive stake would detonate in his face without hesitation.

Yet Verso showed no sign of fear or discomfort at the ticking bomb hovering before him.

Instead, he raised both hands into the air and let out a resigned sigh.

"All right, all right... Calm down. I’m not your enemy."

"..."

"Weren’t you the one who wanted to settle things with words? Why are you resorting to violence now?"

Verso asked with a smile, tilting his head while keeping both hands raised toward the ceiling.

Ethan remained silent for a while, the Explosive Stake glowing within his arm as he gathered his thoughts.

A few seconds passed.

Seconds that seemed to stretch into hours.

Finally, Ethan cleared his throat and spoke again.

"...There are a lot of things I’m still uncertain about. But I don’t need to think twice to know that what you’re doing is wrong."

Verso chuckled softly.

"Really? Then what are you going to do? Fight me here over those blood bags?"

"I don’t need to fight you. If the clan finds out what you’ve been doing, they’ll kill you on the spot."

Ethan’s reply carried an unmistakable threat.

The smile vanished from Verso’s face, replaced by a far more dangerous expression.

"So that’s your plan to stop me? Report me to the clan elders?"

"Not a bad plan, is it?"

"No, it’s not bad... But trust me, you don’t want to make an enemy out of me."

Verso’s words carried a threat of their own.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"Really? Then tell me why I shouldn’t make you my enemy."

Verso laughed at the question.

"Are you seriously asking me that? You do realize I know things about you that nobody else knows, right?"

"Secrets you don’t want anyone finding out."

Smiling, Verso began playing his cards.

"I can hurt you in plenty of ways, Ethan. Far more than you imagine... Why else do you think I’d risk revealing this little secret of mine to you?"

Ethan instinctively frowned at that last remark.

It was becoming clear that Verso had thought everything through.

Even murdering the mother and her son in front of him hadn’t been some random act.

"Then why did you reveal your secret to me?"

Ethan asked, genuinely curious.

Verso sighed.

"Ethan... Look, I really don’t want us to become enemies. Quite the opposite, actually... I want us to work together."

"I already told you, didn’t I? I admire you and the way you play. If there’s anyone who can beat this game, I genuinely believe it’s you."

"That’s why I showed you one of my secrets. I wanted to bring you into the world I live in."

Verso lowered his hands and took another step closer, completely unconcerned by the Explosive Stake aimed at his face.

"Work with me, Ethan. If you and I join forces, nothing will be able to stop us anymore!"

Ethan could tell from his voice alone that Verso was serious.

The man standing before him sincerely wanted to work together.

He saw tremendous value in Ethan as the only player who had ever managed to beat Ordeal.

Staring at Verso, Ethan closed his eyes.

He calmed himself and began examining the entire situation from an outsider’s perspective, relying on cold, detached logic.

As he weighed his options, an answer was already beginning to take shape in his mind.

Verso was a bloodthirsty murderer with a dangerous way of thinking and a broken personality.

What he was doing was wrong.

But Ethan couldn’t afford to treat him as an enemy.

Not yet, at least.

And so, he decided to treat Verso the same way he treated everyone else in the world of Ordeal.

Opening his eyes, Ethan gave his answer.

"I prefer playing solo. I perform best when I’m on my own."

He answered honestly.

After all, Ethan had never intended to remain with the Third Hunting Squad.

Nor had he planned to stay in Ashvarn.

His current circumstances were merely temporary, forced upon him by the curse running through his veins and the royal family that had bound him.

Once he’d dealt with them, he had no intention of staying.

However...

"Even though I prefer fighting alone, I can still make use of another player who’s good at this game."

With those words, Ethan extended his hand.

He had decided to accept the offer made by the devil standing before him.

"Let’s work together from now on."

"NOW THAT’S THE MOON YOU I KNOW!!! YOU REALLY MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE!!"

Verso shouted enthusiastically.

But instead of shaking Ethan’s outstretched hand, he placed both hands on his shoulders and gave them several excited pats.

"..."

Ethan remained silent as Verso continued talking excitedly.

To deal with a dangerous murderer like this, he had chosen not to approach him as a fellow human being.

Instead, he would treat him as a cold-blooded player.

He would exploit Verso for everything he was worth, then discard him the moment an opportunity presented itself.

’To defeat monsters, you must become one...’

’And to deceive the devil, you must be a devil yourself.’

And so, the two players formed an alliance.

Moonlight crept into the tower, casting their shadows across its bloodstained walls.

They were enormous shadows.

But they hardly looked like shadows belonging to human beings...