Warriors will die if they charge.

In the dark, open space shrouded in a thin purple haze, a man covered in blood lay on his body, his wounds rapidly healing.

Camilla's grandmother stood beside the carriage, holding the pale skull that was still emitting thick smoke.

She stared at Marcus, his clothes torn to shreds, hanging precariously from his shoulder—the man who had endured hundreds of sword wounds without uttering a sound.

—It's a monster.

"Young man, what do you really want? Lazybones is an impeccable beauty. Everything you desire can be found in her. Beauty is a gift from the gods to the mortal world, and our existence is merely to highlight Lazybones' beauty."

"Alright, alright, stop spouting nonsense. You just want to use Trish as bait to turn me into a pervert like Hurt, making me dance for the grandpas in my diapers." Marcus clicked his tongue, picked up the steel longsword from Hurt's hand, and walked step by step toward his grandmother Camilla.

"Listen, I have no interest in your stories, whether it's about debts, pleasure, or wandering prostitutes collecting souls. I have no interest in any of them. You wanted me dead just now, so you should die now too."

In a sense, he did indeed demand desires from the lazybones, a yearning for victory and skill, and this androgynous beauty certainly fulfilled his demands.

Marcus won the battle and improved his martial arts skills, but he felt no satisfaction; he even wanted more.

Marcus spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm, and before his grandmother could explain, he raised his longsword to his shoulder and threw it out in a throwing motion.

With tremendous force, bricks flew – this was Marcus's consistent style. The battle had just ended, and the power from the speed bumps hadn't yet dissipated when his longsword pierced through the still-smoking, pale skull and plunged into Camilla's chest.

Her enormous body, as large as a beluga whale, was bleeding pale blood. She leaned against the carriage, her eyes wide open, staring blankly at Marcus, who was not tempted by desire.

"Why? What do you really crave...?"

"All in. You had Trish bring out bridge earlier, deliberately losing a game to me. Maybe I fell for it." Marcus chuckled, but quickly sighed.

"It's a pity that no one understands me. Indeed, soldiers are always lonely. Apart from strong arms and an indomitable heart, there is nothing else to rely on. Alas, how pathetic."

The skull and eye sockets no longer spewed out thick purple smoke. The carriage, Camilla, and Hutt slowly dissipated, and the purple halo that had appeared decadent and alluring in the night faded as if soaked by rain.

The world returned to a state of cold silence, except for a dark figure standing on the road leading from the town to the red-light district.

"Marcus."

The woman's cold voice made Marcus turn around, look at the figures on the street, and ask uncertainly.

"Tracy?"

"Who did this to you?" Trissy's voice was cold, carrying an undeniable killing intent. Marcus had no doubt that if he uttered a name, the drow would be killed.

"If you win at cards, even if your chips are all bruised, it's no big deal, haha." Marcus laughed jubilantly, but Trish was clearly worried. She transformed into a silent black shadow and dashed forward, arriving beside him in almost an instant.

Bloodshot eyes flickered in the shadows of the cloak. Trissy didn't reach out to check his injuries, but simply said:

"Are they those people from out of town?"

"Alright, Lady Trish, things are almost over. I'll explain everything to you when we get home." Marcus pointed to the white tent from which footsteps were coming from.

The tent curtain was lifted from the inside, and Tira came out first.

She straightened her skirt, her face showing a calm, even serene expression. She stood sideways at the tent entrance, waiting for the person inside to come out.

Then came Lawson and Curran, their expressions quite different.

Lawson's face had a hazy, moist look, like the satisfaction of slowly waking up from a warm dream.

Kuran, however, wore a cold, poker face, silently watching Marcus wait.

Marcus spoke up: "The matter is resolved, but this Miss Tira might be a bit problematic. I suspect she's a cultist who worships carnal desires."

Marcus wasn't sure what behavior could be considered cult-like in Linhe Town, where there was no church, but labeling someone as a cultist was certainly the right thing to do.

Tira, who was being accused, shifted her gaze from the sky to Marcus. The two stared at each other for a few seconds without saying a word.

"Cultists? Marcus, you must be mistaken. How could Tira be a cultist? She's so gentle and kind, like a gift from God to the mortal world," Lawson explained, raising his hand.

"Camilla just said that too, to describe a gender-neutral pervert. I suspect you've been bewitched, Lawson."

Kuran, who had remained silent, suddenly waved to Red Feather, hugged his beloved fighting rooster to his arms, and lowered his voice, his tone wistful and tinged with confusion:

"Everyone's tired tonight, Marcus. Don't dwell on this. You're injured, go back and rest."

Marcus shifted his gaze to Kuran's face: "Are you serious? I don't want to be walking down the street and seeing a bunch of men and women having sex soon."

"I will keep an eye on Tila; it's the militia's duty."

Lawson took Tira's delicate hand and nodded to Kuran and Marcus respectively: "Anyway, thank you, Marcus. I will take Tira home. She needs to rest. Come to me tomorrow, and I will prepare a generous reward for you."

Lawson quickly left with the prostitute; his short, thin figure and the tall girl he was leading were like a small horse pulling a large cart.

The open space fell silent. Marcus and Kuran stood facing each other, separated by a drowsy fighting rooster.

After a long while, under Marcus's puzzled gaze, Curran said, "She was inside... and told me something."

"About my father." Kuran raised his hand, his thumb stroking the smooth feathers of his red claws:

"I always thought that even if I died, no one else would know about this. I never told anyone, not even Fielding, who treated me like a son."

"But after I told her, I felt... like it wasn't so bad." He looked up, gazing at the pale stars twinkling in the night sky.

"She's dangerous," Marcus said.

"I know there have been enough strange things happening in town lately, we don't need another kind and understanding girl." Kuran sighed and walked towards the street where the lights were almost out, his back looking lonely and desolate.

Marcus also sighed, mainly because the system had not yet completed the task settlement.

If everyone likes a charming girl who can seduce souls, then he won't bother to keep arguing. Maybe one day he'll lose at roulette and should go find Tira to relax and unwind.

So what if it's pleasurable? Isn't the whole point of life to pursue happiness?

But if he really had to believe in something, he would rather believe in Trish, because she had never lost at cards and was a gambling god.

"Tracy".

"Hmm?" Trissy turned her head and looked at Marcus's face.

"Can you smile? I'll pay you five gold coins."

"You're serious."

"I'm very serious. I really want to see you smile just once. You're so beautiful, but you always have a poker face."

Zhuo Er took two steps forward, turned to face Marcus, slowly raised her hood, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulders, and his face reflected in her blood-red eyes.

She didn't laugh. Her gaze lingered for a moment on his shoulder, where there was a pink wound that had just healed. The bloodlust in her eyes intensified.

"You didn't come home on time today."

"I've run into some trouble, you know..."

As soon as he said "you know," Trish knew he was about to make excuses.

"I know, you and Kuran went to the Cracked Gorge for cockfighting, and after winning money, you came to Japas's tent to have some fun, but ended up getting injured. Is he dead?"

"who."

"Your opponent."

"I chopped his head in half with one sword."

Drow reached out from under his cloak and placed his hand on Marcus's shoulder, his thumb tracing the newly healed pink wound, and whispered:

"If you do that again, I'll chop your head in half. Now go home and get your wound treated!"

Marcus turned and stared at the tent standing tall in the darkness. He felt that there was a lot of gold and silver hidden inside, but... it seemed like holding this money would be too hot to handle.

Forget it, I'll just go home and get some sleep first. I'll see what good stuff I can get when I finish the mission tomorrow.

I've been busy all night, just waiting for this.