Code Collector

Lin raised her hand, pointing her blunt dagger at Allen who was currently in Vince's body. The woman took a few steps closer to Allen, eyes narrowing with both anger and resentment.

"You're the Snake, aren't you?" Lin asked. "Answer me and I won't kill you right this second."

"And what led you to that conclusion, Miss Lin?" Allen asked bravely. He knew to himself that he had no way of fighting Lin especially now that he wasn't in his real body.

The stats gained by the Bodies are only 70% of his actual stats, and these would vary when the Body has a different role in combat as well as the gender and the overall physical appearance.

"You didn't even try to answer me," Lin chuckled. "That makes you guilty of the fact that you are the Snake."

"So, what if I am?" Allen asked. "If I'm the Snake, are you here to catch me? Because I killed Drake Nelson and hurt the other three?"

"You have a fraction of the mass energy a Bearer has," Lin said. "You think I'd believe those blatant lies?"

Allen stopped for a moment. Of course she could see through his mana reserves and his overall strength. This woman was a support role Hunter. She has Codes that lets her examine her opponents in a blink of an eye. She needed information before engaging in a fight and that's a known fact about Lin.

The moment Allen stepped out of the shadows, Lin had already read through him. Every single detail about the Body he was in and maybe even the fact that this was not his real body. That he was somewhere far away from where they were.

"If you're the Snake, then," Lin stepped a couple of steps forward, making Allen wary of what the woman would do. She got closer and closer until she was right in front of Allen. The boy didn't move Vince, too. For some reason he wanted to figure out what the woman would do before he tried to escape.

Just when Allen thought things would get even more surprising, Lin kneeled in front of him. She dropped her blunt dagger and laid her hands on the ground along with her head, bowing it above the back of her hands that were placed in the cold concrete floor.

"W-What?" Allen was left speechless after the action of the woman. He just looked at her while she bowed down to him for a couple of seconds.

It wasn't a minute later when Lin finally spoke, "Primordial Snake, I beg of you. Please get stronger now. We need your help. I can't handle this alone."

"I do not understand you at all," Allen said. "You Primordial Beast Bearers have accused me of killing Drake Nelson. Every single one of you are going to use me as a scapegoat just to cover up the death of the chairman, and now you're acting like this? What the hell."

"No," Lin said. "Louis and I still believe that you didn't do it. The others aren't as convinced as we are after what the Primordial Rooster suggested. She said that you were behind this and that you have already built a cult that worships you to conquer the Otherworlds as well as Earth."

"I'm barely getting by," Allen scoffed. "You knew that the time I got the Code was only a fraction of the time you ascended to Paradise. It took you guys at least three months to get ahead, yet I'm still at that three months. Why are you so illogical?"

"Louis said that in the meeting, but the others wouldn't believe us," Lin said. "They're too focused on Drake Nelson's death that they can't see logic right now. So, I beg of you Snake, help us."

"And why would I do that?" Allen found himself asking. "I could just hide forever and not show myself, pretend that I'm a regular Hunter and then ascend like everyone else. Why should I have to help you deal with the problems you created?"

"Because if you won't, the Bettelchurch will take over," Lin said. She now raised her head and looked at Allen dead in the eyes. Her expression was serious as she stood and leveled herself with Allen.

The woman had a beautiful slender figure with an hourglass body and a thick curve on her hips. Her hair was black, shiny and long that was swinging at the back of her head perfectly. Her skin was like porcelain with fair and pinkish color. Her lips were full and her eyes were light brown that was in a beautiful shade.

She was currently wearing a red one piece tight dress with the skirt barely reaching her knees. Though it looked tight, after seeing Lin kneeled on the floor, Allen saw that her dress was heavily elastic and durable.

A woman like her who was hunted by all sorts of people because of her Codes wouldn't go out without heavy preparations. She can't go out without any because if she would, she would die the moment she stepped outside her home.

"Miss Lin," Allen raised his hands and placed it over Lin's shoulders. "I think there are still a lot of words that needed to be spit out between the two of us, and I don't think we have the luxury of time to do so."

"I have plenty of time," Lin said. "And you do too, I know it."

"I don't have that much time," Allen said. "I was here to make a deal with the guard, but then you came instead of him. I will punish my informants after this mishap, but then–"

"You're Vince, aren't you?" Lin suddenly spoke. "I know you from the profile that Jonathan gave me. That man is a snitch, and you should've known better. You offered service for the Wandering Trader, but you're the Wandering Trader yourself."

"She's sharp," Allen said to himself. 

"Your body profile, shape, even your voice is similar," Lin said. "And there's just one thing that I noticed. Your records doesn't really align well. What is up with that, Mister Vince?"

"Miss Lin–"

"But yes, since you're here to make a deal, let's make a deal," Lin crossed her arms. "I'll give you two months to prepare. You have to reach Eternity by that two months. I'll give you all the support I can give you, but you have to fullfil that two months."

"What happens if I reach Eternity?" Allen asked. "Will I get to be free from your grasp?"

Lin shook her head and smirked, "The ascension to Eternity is merely a requirement. You still have to fight for your freedom as well as serve the justice that the chairman deserve."

"Miss Lin, I believe your offer is quite disadvantageous for my part," Allen said with a chuckle to try and ease the tension. "It heavily leans to you, and I don't do deals like that. I want the deals to be equal to both parties and that both parties can enjoy the benefits of the other."

"I'll teach you everything that there is to know about the Primordial Beast Codes," Lin said. "That's just the first offer. I'll also give you a highly detailed report of the other Primordial Beast Bearers, their stats, profiles, backgrounds, everything."

"Miss Lin," Allen sighed. "That's not something I need. Frankly, I don't care about you Primordial Beast Bearers. I only care about myself and myself only."

"Then I won't spill the fact of your identity," Lin threatened. "Does your teammates know? Do they know that you're a criminal? And if they do, would they be willing to go to prison with you once I report you?"

Allen stepped back for a second. Either his disguise was perfectly close to perfec that he was able to fool Lin or this woman was just unaware of the Code to create puppets. Allen had to admit that he still lacked control over his Bodies, but Lin mentioned his teammates, so it means that she didn't know about Vince being a puppet.

"What will it be?" Lin asked with a smirk, making Allen deadpan. "The choice is yours. I'm merely stating your options."

Allen sighed and decided to give up. He needed the power and influence anyway. Most importantly, he will get more information after this deal. He can study the Primordial Beast Code more with the help of the perspective of a Code Bearer herself.

"I would like to ask you one simple question first," Allen said. He just remembered the dream he had of Drake and Drafara. They said that it wasn't just a dream, and there's no way Allen would wildly guess the information that they shared him.

"What's your question," Lin asked. "If you're gonna ask me anything, make sure it's relevant to our deal."

"Do the Primordial Beast Codes get wotn out after it has been passed on?" Allen asked. "If they do, then what happens after they get passed on too much. Will they lose their value?"