The moment the remaining three members of Godfrey's party fell into eternal sleep, was also the moment Kael and Hans put down their bowls of soup.
Since their meals didn't contain sleeping pills, the two of them had nothing to worry about.
"So we're going to kill them now?"
"Yes. Is there a problem? Are you afraid?" Hans asked, taking out his own sword at the same time.
Although it was just an old weapon, sold in abundance in the market, today, that sword would be bathed in blood.
Simultaneously, Kael took out a dagger, staring at it for a long time before sighing.
Who would have thought that the first thing he killed wasn't a Tower Creature, but a human?
"Who do you want to kill? Since you've never killed anyone before, just pick one of the three. And I'll take care of the other two."
"…I chose Godfrey."
"Alright."
With that, Kael walked towards the two women who were still sleeping, not knowing that they were about to be killed.
Then, with two decisive movements, without any wasted movements, the blade successfully cut through both of their necks, instantly separating their heads from their bodies.
His eyes did not waver or flash with pity.
He was already used to killing people in his previous life.
Blood began to flow.
It was a gruesome scene.
To the point that Kael felt nauseous.
It was confusing.
He had seen many murder scenes in games, movies, and mangas. But seeing it in real life like this, still made him shiver.
The already quiet cave had become even quieter after the two women had been killed.
Now, there was only one person left - Godfrey.
Slowly, Kael approached the sleeping man.
His hand tightened on the dagger, but he still couldn't stop himself from trembling.
The tip of the dagger slowly approached the man's neck, but stopped when it touched the skin there.
"I… can't do that."
Just thinking about killing someone made him feel sick.
Part of Kael wanted to stop, but the other part forced him to continue, because it was necessary.
His breathing became more rapid.
His heart was also beating more crazily, as if it wanted to jump out of his chest right now.
Cold sweat had already begun to break out.
This was bad. Kael was losing focus.
But at that moment, the protagonist appeared, once again.
"Let me tell you a story, Kael Draven."
"A story?"
"What I'm about to tell you is true, and it's up to you whether you believe it or not."
"..."
"This is a story that happened to a friend of mine, a long time ago…"
To be more precise, Hans was telling about himself, and what happened in his first life.
"Back then, that friend of mine was in dire need of money, and was willing to do anything, as long as it wasn't illegal, to earn it. And that was when he met Godfrey's party…"
"..."
"...It was also when he first understood what despair was."
"What happened?"
"He had believed Godfrey and his party were good people. But it turns out, they were just vicious wolves disguised as harmless sheep."
"What did they do?"
"Not only did they not help him, they also blackmailed him, and even hurt the people he cared about."
…The moment Hans said that he would use them as bait on the first day, Kael had already believed that Godfrey's party must have done something unforgivable.
And indeed it was.
What they did was even more outrageous than that.
They hurted the protagonist's family.
Damn it! Those were the people he considered more important than his fucking life!
And they dared hurting them?
No wonder why in this life, Hans wanted to kill them all the moment he saw them.
The main character could ignore the beatings, the abuse, the torture, but, if that person harmed his family, then his end would be death.
What pitiful unlucky people.
"So Kael, after knowing that they are such people, can you still forgive them?"
"...No." Kael said, tightening his grip on the dagger in his hand.
"Then kill them."
He closed his eyes, steadied his mood, took several breaths to stabilize his breathing, trying to shake off the feeling of anxiety.
And when he opened his eyes, it was successful.
His hands were no longer shaking.
His eyes flashed with certainty, not regretting his upcoming actions.
Without wasting any more time, Kael raised the dagger high, and then…
Thud.
Warm blood spurted out, staining his hands and the clothes he was wearing.
It felt… warm, but also… disgusting.
But, there was something strange.
"How do you feel, Kael?" Asked Hans.
Guilt? No.
Remorse? No.
Fear? No.
For some reason…
"I feel pretty good."
***
11:50 PM
In ten minutes, Hans Varun would use [Night Eye] to check if there were any guiding spirits around.
If there were, they would follow them, and reach that mysterious temple.
If not… then Kael and Hans would probably have to return to the safe zone, join a new party, and start all over again.
And at the same time, both of them would have to give up on participating in the 20th floor raid.
It was a great loss, but what could they do?
One thing was certain:
Even if they could find that temple or not, Shadow Slayer would definitely return.
At that time, a battle would be inevitable, and Hans and Kael would surely lose miserably, receiving death as punishment.
"Then what should we do, Kael?"
"Hmm, do you still have the storage bag that Godfrey's party told you to bring?"
"Of course." The protagonist quickly took out a giant backpack, big enough to fit a refrigerator in.
"Now, put all three corpses in that bag, and always carry it with you. Oh, and if possible, try to make them have more cuts, so that more blood flows out."
The opponent they were facing was a Fiend rank Tower Creature, with intelligence.
But, in essence, it was still just a Tower Creature.
Although he didn't quite understand Kael's intentions, Hans still did exactly as he said.
When he finished, 5 minutes had already passed.
It was now 11:55 PM.
In 5 minutes, a new day would begin.
They didn't have much time left.
There was no reason to linger in this cave anymore, so the two of them left at the same time.
It was time to continue their journey.