Chapter 56

“AHHHHHHHH!”

Gary suddenly began to hear noises coming from within the hideout.

‘Hm…?’

The noise continued, though the sound was muffled since Gary was outside.

“Are they fighting again?” He grumbled. “Those idiots… they’ll wake up the Leader!”

He hurried through his task, slipping his stick into his boxer shorts despite the liquid dribbling onto his already filthy underwear.

Rushing wasn’t new to him; he brushed off the discomfort with nonchalance.

He closed the pouch and tied it back around his Wesson, covering everything with his boxer shorts.

Right as he was done, he heard another scream echo within the place.

It was a blood-curdling one—not resembling one borne out of the usual brawl among comrades.

Gary felt his heart skip a beat, but this fear was swiftly overruled by the fear of what their Leader would do to everyone if he was woken up by their screaming.

Even if Gary wasn’t among them, he knew the Leader’s punishment was one he could not escape.

With a burst of strength fueled by fear, he tore the door from its hinges and stormed inside, shouting at his noisy comrades like the fool he sometimes was.

“You guys, STOP! You’ll WAKE the LEADER!”

As Gary rushed in, shutting his eyes to make this declaration, he realized something.

… There was no noise—at least, not anymore.

‘E-eh…?’

Instead, a certain smell caused him to slowly open his eyes as it overwhelmed his senses with a familiar sensation.

‘W-what is… this…?’

Blood and gore greeted his sight, as he noticed the severed parts of his comrades on the ground.

Warm blood pooled at the bottom of Gary’s feet, as if inviting him to join in the puddle.

“N-no…”

Gary's horror increased as he took in the scattered organs—intestines, brain matter, and unidentifiable pieces—littered all around the area.

He saw eyeballs bulging from their sockets, severed heads that rolled around, and chunks of human flesh dipped in the stew that was their own blood.

It was all so disgusting!

Repulsive!

“Bluerghh!” Before Gary realized it, he collapsed to his knees and vomited.

The sour stench of his vomit mixed in with the gross smell of the blood around him, created a new, unbearable odor that hung heavy in the air.

Gary felt like vomiting once again, but he was stopped by a voice.

“Do that again, and you’ll suffer even more before dying.”

The moment Gary heard this, he automatically swallowed his second round.

Even though he was still very nauseated and downright disgusted by the sight of his earlier vomit dissolving into the blood before him, he instinctively knew that he couldn’t throw up again.

Doing so would mean certain doom.

‘W-why…?’

Gary slowly raised his head as he spotted three figures before him.

One was a man who seemed to be a gentleman—the kind of handsome noble that any pauper like him would want to punch in the face.

Beside him stood a young woman who had an unsheathed blade brandished in her hand.

She looked so cute that it seemed like she could never hurt a fly, but the murderous gleam in her eyes as she looked at him, and the blood splattered on her pretty face told him she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed.

In fact, the one that sliced off his comrades into these disgusting bits and pieces was most likely her.

“Hey, you…” The commanding voice rang out again, drawing Gary's attention to the final figure in the room—a man shrouded in a dark cloak whose back leaned against the wall as he stood in a corner.

He had a black mask on, so his fade was concealed in mystery.

His eyes glowed a dangerous crimson, and it was the kind that told Gary that instant death awaited him if he made even the slightest mistake.

Gary had no idea what these incredibly powerful people wanted from him and his comrades, but he knew they meant business.

If he didn’t act quickly, he would meet the same fate as his fallen comrades and join them in the underworld.

“… Where is she?”

The moment he heard the question from the man shrouded in darkness, Gary’s body perked up as he remained kneeling.

Gary's voice trembled with fear and confusion as he met the intense gaze behind the obsidian mask.

“I… I don’t understand…”

“Don’t make me ask again…” The man’s crimson eyes shone brighter as he stared at Gary.

“The girl with the ring. Where is she…?”

The moment Gary heard this, his eyes widened in fear and downright shock.

‘The ring? What ring? Could it be… the one with me?’

Was that why these people were here? Because of how valuable the ring was? They probably came to retrieve it due to its high value.

Gary felt a mix of guilt and pride.

‘I-I knew it was valuable! It’s definitely in the Platinum Rank! I… I didn’t know they would come to kill all of us for it!’

In a desperate bid to resolve the situation, Gary devised a plan.

‘I-I’ll just give it back to them! Yes, that should solve everything!”

With trembling hands, he squirmed in his pathetic state, digging his hand into his boxer shorts to bring out the pouch.

~VWUSH!~

It appeared like a flash of light, much faster than Gary could process.

At least, not until it was too late.

“GAHHHHH!!” His screams echoed in the air as he could no longer feel his hand.

The thing was now on the bloodied floor, separate from the rest of his body.

“G-guarhhhh!” His voice was strained with shock and pain, sweat mixing with the blood and dirt on his face.

Smoke wafted from his severed hand, the intense heat branding his arm with searing pain. In that horrific moment, Gary pieced together what happened:

A beam of crimson light had come from the eyes of the masked one, swiftly burning off the tendons that held his arm and hand together.

The scorching heat sealed the wound, preventing immediate bleeding but leaving Gary to face the grim reality of his lost hand.

… Forever!

“Uarrghhhhhhh!!!”

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

This chapter was longer than usual, but I just liked the way it flowed.

I hope you liked it.