Endless Debt

"This is really strange..."

Bologue drifted in the void, like someone who had fallen into water, going with the flow.

What he didn't quite understand was why the manner of death affected the void world differently, or was the problem with his own soul?

When the soul is impacted, does one's connection to this place become tighter?

Bologue couldn't quite figure it out. If he were in the real world, facing those mysteries, he would still have the ability to explore them one by one. But here, Bologue was truly, absolutely ignorant.

There wasn't much time left for him to explore, yet Bologue did not even have the ability to move at will, blindly extending his hand, but grasping nothing.

Broken rocks loomed like mountains, completely obscuring his view. A faint glow appeared from behind them. Bologue tried to see clearly, but the rock formations were too immense. Even if Bologue could move by himself, he wouldn't know how long it would take to get through.

A strip of ethereal blue light passed before his eyes, giving Bologue a sense of familiarity. He remembered the ether streams he'd observed through lenses, having this same color and shape.

He tried to recall past experiences, seemingly arriving at different places in the void world each time. Sometimes in vast darkness, other times amidst a group of rocks like in front of him now.

It seemed knowing these vague conditions wasn't enough; he still needed some luck to arrive at a suitable position, instead of at this eerie place.

Then Bologue began to ponder, was this void world real? Or perhaps a blurred projection of his thoughts.

Just like dreams.

Dreams aren't truly real but are illusions pieced together randomly according to human consciousness.

Bologue believed that the void world was a different kind of dream, with the most direct evidence being such bizarre scenes rarely exist in reality.

The deceased colossal entities like stars, the broken and colliding mountains, and those slithering paths of light...

With Bologue's current understanding, he didn't think such scenes could appear in reality, not even created by the power of a Seeker of Glory.

This place is similar to the illusory creation of dreams, which is why there is such bizarre scenery here. Once he revives, this place will shatter like a dream.

Bologue wanted to conduct a deeper observation, when suddenly a great pull emerged from inside his body, no stranger to him, like two giant hands trying to drag him out from the deep sea.

He was about to be resurrected.

But logically, with his soul impacted, his time here should have been extended, why was the resurrection happening so quickly this time?

His body began to turn ethereal, then collapsed from the heart as a point, twisting into nothingness and dissipating.

Bologue disappeared, and the void world became even more desolate and lifeless.

Mountains collided, splitting into broken paths, and a barren white land appeared at the edge of darkness.

The void world didn't dissipate with Bologue's departure, just as dreams don't shatter with a person's awakening. And on that white land, a blurry figure moved their gaze away from the screen before them, looking toward the spot where Bologue had vanished, lost in thought.

...

Suddenly opening his eyes, the piercing light fell from above. Bologue breathed deeply like a drowning man, with a dull pain erupting one after another, nearly tearing his body apart.

Teda injected a potion for him, which could alleviate the pain and help Bologue recover quickly. After struggling for a while, Bologue barely collected himself and turned to Teda to ask.

"How long was I dead?"

"About a few minutes?"

Teda wasn't paying attention to when Bologue died, but after noticing his death, he stopped the ritual, waiting for Bologue to resurrect.

"Only a few minutes?" Bologue's head throbbed.

"Yes, I saw you died, so I halted the ritual," Teda said.

"So that's why..." Bologue muttered. That's why he returned to the real world so quickly; Teda interrupted the ritual.

"So how's my soul?"

Bologue focused on differentiating the primary aspects of the matter, although it sounded a bit strange, he had plenty of opportunities to die and could explore the void world gradually. Now the main focus was detecting the stability of his soul.

"Very stable, you can start the trials anytime," Teda said with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, "You really are a peculiar case, Bologue."

"What do you mean?"

"In just a few months, your soul has stabilized, very few people can do this, let alone you being a debtor with a fragmented soul."

Bologue thought about it, unable to figure it out, and could only respond, "Perhaps I'm gifted, naturally suited for this job."

"Just wait a moment, I'll write a proof for you. Report this to Lebius, and they should be able to prepare the next trials for you."

Teda untied Bologue, letting him sit up from the operating table.

Bologue did not leave immediately but bowed his head in contemplation, then asked, "Besides my soul, did you see anything... else?"

"What do you mean?"

"Any unusual situations? After all, I'm a debtor."

"Apart from the soul's dimness, nothing is unusual."

Teda said. The more fragmented the soul, the dimmer its glow.

"Okay."

Bologue nodded, unsure of what was going on.

He carried a lot of Soul Shards; logically, these shards should manifest once the soul is materialized, but Teda saw nothing... Or maybe these Soul Shards had fused into his soul.

The more Bologue thought about it, the more his head hurt. He was certain the Devil who traded away his soul knew everything, but somehow he couldn't even find his shadow.

Teda explained some related matters to Bologue and handed him a couple of potions, saying they'd make him feel more comfortable. When Bologue asked what they were, Teda couldn't give a clear answer.

"I just mixed them randomly, using some invigorating ingredients... You could think of them as coffee, a special kind of coffee."

Bologue stared at the tube in his hand, filled with a glowing green liquid.

He hesitated a bit, but eventually drank it down. As an Undead, Bologue wasn't afraid of consuming poison; he'd just wake up after a while anyway.

The taste was strange, but the effect was notable, his mind cleared instantly, and his vision brightened.

Teda often used these potions to refresh himself during busy times, and Bologue thought Palmer would need them more than him as they could help him recover from a hangover.

As soon as he returned to the first floor, the door to the Alchemy Workshop swung open, light slipping past the visitor to outline a clear silhouette.

Palmer entered, eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

"Did you just wake up?" Bologue glanced at the time; Palmer should have slept for a few hours in the activity room.

"Geoffrey kicked me out. He warned me that I was affecting the image of the Special Operations Group too much. If I keep it up, he'll dock my pay next time."

Palmer spoke with exhaustion that made it hard to discern his tone.

Bologue nodded in agreement; he indeed affected the image too much. Hart's suspicious gaze was still fresh in his mind.

Palmer rubbed his eyes, and Bologue understood without words that he intended to head back to the cabin to continue sleeping. No wonder he loved that place so much; as long as there were no tasks, he could happily be a salary thief there.

As they turned into the corridor, they met another person from the Alchemy Workshop, Aimou, who held a tray with several baked desserts.

The three exchanged glances.

"Good afternoon, Bologue!" Aimou said energetically.

"Good afternoon."

Bologue nodded, his mood as usual.

"You look a bit rough, Palmer," Aimou turned to Palmer, with eyes that seemed to analyze him, "Are you sick?"

"No... worse than sick, what's this?" Palmer pointed to the items on the tray.

"Oh, some desserts I baked. Want to try?"

Aimou was ostensibly speaking to Palmer, but his eyes inadvertently shifted to Bologue, unnoticed by the two, though Palmer jolted awake instantly.

With the tray in hand, Bologue returned to the cabin with Palmer, while Aimou continued with his work. In the enclosed room, Bologue tried a piece; the taste was decent, meeting Aimou's usual standards.

"What are you looking at?"

Bologue swallowed and noticed that Palmer had been staring at him from the single bed since entering the room.

Upon hearing Bologue's question, Palmer sat upright, his gaze sharper.

"What did you do to her?" Palmer demanded.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Bologue couldn't fathom what was running through Palmer's mind.

"Just a little dessert~" Palmer mimicked Aimou's tone, acting smugly, "What was with that weird attitude? Expert, what have you been up to?"

Bologue squinted, and out of nowhere, he produced the Sheep Horn Shock Hammer.

"Alright, since it's a personal matter, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," Palmer waved it off, his smile faded as he spoke seriously, "But, Expert, you can't always think of solving problems with violence."

Bologue held a dessert in one hand and the Sheep Horn Shock Hammer in the other, speaking calmly, "If you're willing to shut up and sleep now, I might consider leaving you a piece."

"Okay, Expert."

Palmer lay down, but after just a few minutes, he suddenly got up again, and with full respect, gave Bologue a thumbs-up, exclaiming loudly.

"You're too strong! Expert! As expected from you!"

Bologue remained puzzled at Palmer's remarks but was sure that this guy was definitely mocking him.