The Price of the Cracked Ankh
Helen arrived at the drug dealer's shop, only to be confronted by an existence she had never encountered in her life. 'What the hell... what is that thing?' The moment she laid eyes on Paimon, a dizzying sensation rippled through the back of her neck. She didn't even need to use her Crisis Detection skill to know the truth: 'If I cross it... I die.'
Faced with the terror of death, she couldn't stop her body from trembling—the most violent shaking she had ever experienced in her entire life. Her instincts screamed at her to run, warning that even just speaking to that thing would shatter her mind. Paimon hadn't brought its true form, fearing its mere presence would kill the customers, but even its avatar was toxic to humans.
"Ugh..." As the mental corruption began, Helen felt nauseous and lightheaded. Yet, she couldn't even grasp why she felt so dizzy. She couldn't tell if it was because she was looking at something she shouldn't, or because of the strangely sweet scent wafting from the shop. She simply prayed for this situation to end quickly.
"Si... Sister... Kugh..." Unable to hold back the nausea, Roy vomited blood onto the floor. Helen was shocked, but pinned down by the demon's overwhelming pressure, she couldn't easily tend to her brother. Just then, Jackson, who had been watching them while polishing a glass, approached and placed his hands on their heads. The sinister whispers that had been inducing headaches and the Magi that had been clouding their vision vanished in an instant.
"Paimon-nim..."
As Jackson bowed as if asking for a favor, the pressure pinning the two down finally dissipated. Helen’s trembling subsided, and Roy straightened his posture, wiping the blood from his lips. Jackson smiled and asked, "Are you two alright?"
"Ah... yes... thank you. You saved us..." As Helen offered her thanks, Jackson grinned. For some reason, Helen found that smile unsettling and creepy. "Hehe. Since you are both first-time customers at our shop, I will serve you a drink you can enjoy lightly."
Jackson soon handed Helen and Roy a mysterious cocktail. Roy naturally thanked him and reached for the drink, but Helen, sitting beside him, pinched the back of his hand hard and muttered through gritted teeth, "Hey. Don't drink that."
"Huh? Why?"
"You idiot. Don't you remember the warning?"
"Oh...? Ah." Only then did Roy put down the grape juice he had been holding. One must never accept or consume food offered by a drug dealer. If not for Helen's warning, Roy would have foolishly let his life fall into the abyss, blinded by the dealer's kind smile. As Roy set the glass down, the smiling bartender’s face went blank, as if he had never smiled at all, and he stared at them silently. His hollow-looking eyes were chilling. Helen felt like she was losing her mind. Nothing in the Black Market was normal. Everything was twisted, disgusting, and filled with dangers too great to endure. 'Crazy bastard... why does he keep staring?' Thinking that even having two heads was strange enough, Helen tried her best to ignore his abnormal behavior. What mattered now wasn't a two-headed bartender. To escape this place, she focused on Paimon, whose very gaze made her eyes ache.
"You were the one who called us. You sent that anonymous freak, too... didn't you? Right? We found the right place, didn't we? Please tell me we did. I'm about to go insane."
The freak had appeared at their base with a blood-stained letter. Because of that letter, Nick's colleagues learned of the Black Market's existence and were able to dive in to find the Cracked Ankh. Helen desperately wanted the demon before her to be the one who sent the freak. She prayed that there wouldn't be some disaster where it turned out to be someone else, or that the Cracked Ankh didn't exist at all. The others who had entered with them were missing, and they themselves were slowly losing their sanity. Helen felt they needed hope now. 'Since I finally met the person who sent the letter... I just need to get the item and leave.' She tried to envision a bright future. She vowed that if she could escape safely, she would never return to this horrific, disgusting place.
Paimon, who had been observing their state, spoke up. [I never told you to come... but I am the one who sent the letter.] Paimon answered her question kindly. There was no time to waste on useless chatter. It knew that the Apostle of the Evil God was approaching. It was better for everyone to exchange what was needed and part ways quickly.
[We have no time, so let's get to the point.] Paimon pulled a small box from its robes. [Here. This is the item you are looking for.] Inside was the Cracked Ankh that Nick's colleagues had been so desperately seeking. Helen wanted to snatch it from Paimon's hand, but a demon would never give something away without a condition.
[If you want this, there is one condition.] Paimon's goal was to form a connection with the Pantheon. Tired of the tyranny of the Evil Gods, it intended to side with the Pantheon. It judged that doing so offered a higher chance of survival. It was a reasonable judgment. The Manma-jeon was far inferior to the Pantheon. Most of the Evil Gods had been extinguished or sealed, and one of the Three Main Gods had even had their name erased from history. Furthermore, the causality was still lagging, and the only player active as a main force was Jang Jojun. To Paimon, now was the perfect time to join the Pantheon.
"What is the condition?"
[One of you must sign a contract with me. That is my condition.] Planting a demonic jester by the Savior's side—that was Paimon's goal. [Whoever picks up this box signs a contract with me. Who will become my minion?]
The box was held out before Helen and Roy. Whoever picked it up would naturally enter into a contract with the demon. It was a simplified method and a simple condition to sign a contract with the strongest demon without complex procedures. It was a situation some might even desperately desire. Yet, neither of them could step forward. They had fought against demon-possessed individuals many times, and it was common knowledge that getting tangled with a demon never ended well. Coming here to trade with a demon was already uncomfortable enough, but to sign a contract? It was baffling. No one in their right mind would willingly say they wanted to become a demon's minion.
"I will..." Helen tried to shoulder the burden. She was the older sister, after all. She wanted to protect the brother who always protected her. But Roy was faster. He grabbed the wrist of his sister as she reached for the box. "Sister. I'll do it."
"What?"
"I said I'll do it."
"Hey... this is a contract with a demon. It's better if useless me carries that burden."
"You're always like that, Sister."
"What?! What do you mean by that! Let go! I'll do it! You just focus on carrying me around!!"
"Forget it. I'm doing it."
Helen was that kind of woman. Even before the world collapsed, she always tried to shoulder everything herself, even with a body that couldn't handle it. Roy hated that responsible behavior. 'She can't even walk properly, always stuck in a wheelchair...' Yet she always stepped forward first. Roy thought of her as a much cooler sister than himself. That was why he always embraced her. And that was why he decided to shoulder the burden in her place this time. He picked up the box without hesitation. "Sister, I'm the porter. It's right that I carry the load."
"Hey! You..."
"Demon. Let's sign the contract. With me."
In an instant, wriggling letters escaped the box and burrowed into Roy's heart like a curse. Roy's job changed. From Porter to Jester. Roy smiled at his sister, who was looking at him with worry, telling her he was fine.
[The contract is complete. Now, escape. Someone is chasing you.]
"Someone is chasing us...?"
[Yes. The existence that turned your hero into a cripple... and is inciting the destruction of the world.]
"Don't tell me..." Helen finally reactivated her Crisis Detection, which had finished its cooldown. "Ro, Roy... we have to run right now."
"What?"
"It's the same energy as before... it's coming here."
Jang Jojun was coming. Paimon reached out toward the two. [I will send you to the Twisted Alley. Find the door with a keyhole there. Never go to the surface or the underground.] Paimon then warped them to the Twisted Alley. Regardless, the most important thing was that the person with the Cracked Ankh escaped alive.
-Clink
"Haa... haa... damn it!!"
I was late again. The shop was empty, save for Jackson, who was polishing a glass. "Welcome to Drug & Rush."
"Jackson... haa. Never mind."
It was obvious he wouldn't tell me where they went. It was an unwritten rule of the Black Market not to leak customer information. Even that poacher had kept his mouth shut, so there was no way a drug dealer would talk. He would surely tell me to have a drink and ask later. I didn't have time to waste. I had to catch those bastards who ran off with the Cracked Ankh. 'The fact that they aren't here means... there's a high possibility they went to the Twisted Alley.' Eila said an anonymous demon sent the letter. If it were a demon capable of sending letters to reality, it would certainly have the power to warp those with the Cracked Ankh to the Twisted Alley.
"Jackson, I'll be back. Cheshire, to the Twisted Alley..."
"Yeah, let's go quickly."
It was a shame, but I might not be able to buy items from the slave trader and the drug dealer this week. Retrieving the Cracked Ankh was the top priority. We soon teleported to the Twisted Alley.
"Sister... haa... haa... I can't see the door."
"This is..."
Even with Crisis Detection, the exit wasn't easy to find. The skill only pointed out paths they shouldn't take. The two had been wandering the twisted alley for ten minutes. And then, Jang Jojun, Cheshire, Eila, and Bella appeared in the Twisted Alley.
"If Eila were here, she would have found it immediately..."
"True, should we bring her now?"
"No. It would be too late. Let's find it first. Eila and Bella, you go that way, we'll take this path. Answer me if you understand my orders!"
"Yes!"
"Understand!"
Eila and Bella decided to impress Jojun since they were now his subordinates. They hadn't been particularly loyal to Nick in the first place, so they felt no resistance to betraying the team. Meanwhile, Roy and Helen confirmed once again that Jojun was getting closer.
"Crazy bastard... he's already this close. Roy... just run. Not getting caught is the most important thing."
"Okay..."
They fled, avoiding Jojun, who was caught in their Crisis Detection. Because of that, they passed right by the exit next to the corner. An hour passed. Having missed the exit, the two continued to wander in circles through the twisted alley, while Jojun, Cheshire, Eila, and Bella narrowed the distance by following the fugitives' tracks. Finally, Helen and Roy ran into the twin sisters.
"Ah! Eila!! Bella!! You were alive too!"
"Roy oppa!!"
"Helen unni!! You're all safe!!"
"Roy oppa!! The Ankh? Did you find the Cracked Ankh?"
"Of course we got it! We just need to find the exit now!!"
"Wow!! Amazing! Roy oppa, let's stick together from now on!"
"Okay! I'm coming to you!"
Roy, overjoyed to meet the twins he had a crush on, approached them without a hint of suspicion. The twin sisters smiled and waved at Roy as he drew near. At that moment, Helen, who had been closing her eyes and sensing something, grabbed Roy's wrist. The cooldown for Crisis Detection hadn't returned yet, but the innate ability she had possessed since birth activated once again.
"Roy. No."
"Huh? What now?"
"We have to get away from them."
"What?"
"Hurry!!!"
At Helen's warning, Roy panicked but fled, avoiding the twins. His sister's words were absolute. Her abnormal danger-sensing ability had reached the realm of precognition. "Damn it. That bitch noticed again!"
"Helen, that damn bitch...! Scream. We have to call the Master."
Helen and Roy were caught by the hounds. The twin sisters chased them, screaming at the top of their lungs, "Found them!!! Here!!!!"
"Master!!! It's here!!! Here!!!!!"
Their screams were like shrieks. "Jojun. I hear shouting over there."
"Yes? Damn! It was the other way!!"
The encirclement tightened. If Helen and Roy were caught here, the situation would effectively tilt toward the Cultists. The Pantheon would likely suffer a massive loss of causality and be forced to either bring Nick back or abandon him and find a new Savior—the worst-case scenario. If it came to that, they could truly look forward to the victory of the Manma-jeon.
"The door!! It's the door!! Roy!! That way!!"
However, victory couldn't be achieved so easily. Helen finally discovered the door. Roy ran with all his might. They reached the door leading outside, and Roy rummaged through his pockets for the key. "Sister, let's get out of here now!!"
The door opened. Liberation was right before their eyes.
"Kyaaaa!!!!!!"
And at that moment, Helen screamed as she was dragged backward. A cluster of tentacles had burst from the corner of the alley just before they could exit, grabbing Helen from Roy's back and pulling her away. "Where do you think you're going! You sons of bitches!!!"
Jojun appeared. He immediately fired Abyssal Maw at Roy. His target was the head. He intended to tear it off and kill him. But it was blocked by Helen's skill. The trajectory of the Abyssal Maw, aimed at Roy's head, was twisted.
"Kuaaa!!! Sister!!!"
"Roy, just run!!! The Saintess will heal you!! Damn it, run!!!"
Helen's desperate scream. The Abyssal Maw chewed off Roy's right leg. The leg was severed in an instant. Roy writhed in pain, but left his captured sister behind and leaped through the door. The Cracked Ankh was in Roy's inventory.
"Damn it."
Jojun had let one escape. And it was the one he absolutely had to catch. He growled at the captured Helen as if he would devour her. "Hey, you dog-like bitch. Where did the Cracked Ankh go?"
At Jojun's threat, Helen sneered at him. She might not be able to use her legs, but Helen was a woman of terrifying tenacity. "Heh. Hehehe. What are you talking about, you idiot? I don't speak your language."
At Helen's sneer and mockery, Jojun drew the ritual dagger from his waist. "You're laughing? You dog-like bitch... you're going to beg me to kill you."
A torture session, slightly more intense than usual, began.