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Chapter 59: 3.2 Billion

"Nerves are…"

"Then… mine!"

"...Not work like that."

How many times has it been now in a short span of time that Rhys found himself falling in and out of unconsciousness? He could faintly hear Ayesha\'s loud and obnoxious voice, but he could barely make out any words. There seemed to also be another person with her, but he couldn\'t recognize who it was.

"Just heal it!"

"Can\'t… could attach mech…"

"Do it! Get… expensive… one."

"But… cost is…"

"Budget is… just…"

"...Escort… commander… out."

"D… touch… me! He…"

And soon, Rhys could no longer hear anything as he succumbed to the weight pulling him down. He did not even dream, there was only a darkness that was violently trying to make him stay in its embrace.

This embrace did not last long, however, as this dark embrace was suddenly replaced by pain that seemed to be eating through his flesh.

Rhys had been burned, his flesh flayed, his throat torched, his bones ground — by all means, he had already learned how to ignore excruciating pain that would leave any other normal man completely brain-dead.

…But the pain he was feeling right now was something… else. It felt like there were billions of ants eating him from the inside, and they weren\'t even mowing him down, no. They were taking their leisurely time.

"W… what\'s happening!?"

"I don\'t… tech armor… compatible… body! Remove it, remove it!"

Rhys could hear several people screaming, or perhaps it was just his own consciousness screaming for him because he could not do it himself.

"...Can\'t! Something… something is pulling it!"

"What… that… webs…!?"

"Can\'t… cut!"

00:51

"W… eating… me!"

"F…force…"

"Can\'t… cut!"

"W… eating… me!"

"Help… help!"

Rhys could hear several people screaming, but the only thing he could really do was feel as if his body was seemingly being dragged in the air. But soon, his body was once again surrounded by a pain impossibly unbearable that he could not even faint if he wanted to.

A second.

A minute.

An hour.

A day.

The pain lasted an entire day and he was awake through all of it. It wasn\'t until everything seemed to calm down that he was allowed to collapse and reside in the comforts of darkness.

And once again, there were no dreams, only a reminder of all the things he had lost.

"Rhys."

And with his name being called, his eyes opened up to a bright ceiling; the familiar heat of helios, beaming down on his face as it passed through a window that told him he was still in the Underworld, alive and dead at the same time.

Rhys then weakly turned his eyes toward the voice that woke up him, only to see Ayesha standing beside his bed with her arms crossed; her eyebrows, as low as they could be.

"You… stupid shit," Ayesha whispered out as her teeth almost showed, "You should have just run away."

"...That would be grounds for desertion, Ayesha. Kh…" Rhys groaned as he tried to get up. And even with him activating his [Arise] skill, he felt something incredibly wrong as he couldn\'t lift himself up.

As for Ayesha, she only watched Rhys struggle; clicking her tongue at him and shaking her head. But after a few seconds, the snarl forming on her face subtly faded away as she helped Rhys up.

"You know where you are, Recruit?" Ayesha quickly backed away and once again crossed her arms.

"Back in the base… Underworld," Rhys glanced at the window.

"I had to haul your crippled ass all the way here," Ayesha\'s voice slightly trembled; a mix of rage and somberness flowing with them.

"Crippled…" Rhys glanced at Ayesha for a few seconds, before finally looking at his right hand… only to see nothing there all the way to his shoulder, "I…

…I guess that\'s that, huh?"

Rhys then also looked at his legs which were still covered by blankets; his voice turning quiet, "Am I going to be discharged now?"

"Fuck your balls you\'re discharged, Recruit," Ayesha scoffed, "You are only discharged when you\'re dead."

"But… I\'m useless now."

"Like you weren\'t before?" Ayesha let out a small chuckle as she very gently sat on Rhys\'s bed.

"But my arm… and my leg is—"

And before Rhys could finish his words, Ayesha suddenly pulled Rhys\'s blanket away and threw it to the side — revealing Rhys with both legs still intact… maybe.

"That…"

"Tech armor," Ayesha lightly tapped on Rhys\' right leg, causing a small but hard clink to ring in the air. Half of his thigh, and then all the way down his toes were now completely encased in a sort of black chainmail—no. It wasn\'t encased, it was now his entire leg,

"Cool, right? That was made of the same material as the one they are using with Hole Proofing, compressed several times over. You know what that means?"

"..."

"You owe me exactly 3.2 billion dollars plus tax, Recruit."

"...What?" Rhys\'s eyes widened as he looked Ayesha in the eyes, only to see her completely serious.

"I didn\'t even include the price for your arm, Recruit," Ayesha pointed at Rhys\'s shoulder, "It got fucked, but I still paid for it."

"I thought… the Underworld corps did not have a budget, Ayesha?"

"We don\'t," Ayesha just shrugged, "That\'s why you\'re going to pay me, and I am going to pay the government. Don\'t worry about it too much."

"That\'s 3.2 billion dollars, Ayesha," Rhys blinked.

"Trust me, the government folded when I told them about Arachnea," Ayesha suddenly burst out in a fit of laughter, "I had those old men by their balls."

"..."

"..."

And with those words, the silence that came after made the awkwardness even stronger. But after a few seconds, Ayesha once again gently tapped Rhys\'s now mechanical leg, before fully placing her palm on it and letting out a very long and deep breath.

"Can I ask you why, Rhys?"

"Hm…?"

"Why didn\'t you just leave me? The truth, this time… please." Ayesha looked Rhys in his covered eyes, "I am more than fully capable of surviving everything. Arachnea was just… an unexpected variable."

"Because I didn\'t want to abandon you, Ayesha," Rhys carefully held Ayesha\'s hand as he returned her gaze, "When you held my hand while I was talking to my sister, you accepted my silly request… and you didn\'t abandon me then."

"I\'m strong, Rhys," Ayesha did not pull her hand away and just looked at Rhys\'s hand, "I don\'t need anyone protecting me. I\'m the one that\'s doing the protecting."

"I did it because I want to, Ayesha. Because believe it or not, the Faceless crew are precious to me…" Rhys looked Ayesha in the eyes, before he very slowly glanced at the 5 Hearts floating above her head…

…4 of them, now completely red.

"I want to protect you too, Ayesha…

…because you are important to me."

"..."

"..."

"Tch… you think I don\'t know about the big-tittied doctor and the tiny explorer you have?" Ayesha quickly pulled her hand away, "You\'re a fuckboy."

"...That\'s not true at all," Rhys shook his head, "I\'ve only been with one woman in my life."

"Psh, what are you gonna say next? That I can be the second one?"

"...Maybe."

"I\'d rather eat minotaur balls, Recruit," Ayesha scoffed as she quickly made her way out of the room, "Rest, you need to introduce yourself to your new crew… No. 1."

"Wh—" Ayesha did not let Rhys say anything as she quickly stepped out of the room, slamming the door on Rhys.

"Sh…shit," Ayesha took in a small gulp as her legs almost gave out on her; her brown face, now almost as red as her ancestors as she covered her mouth, "I…

…I thought I was gay."

***

"Is… that him? The crippled Lowborn?" Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

"Why the fuck is he so tall?"

"Shh! Don\'t let anyone hear you."

3 months later, a new set of recruits were once again trying their luck in the Underworld Corps. And in front of them was an officer; the right sleeve of his uniform, flailing with the wind.

"Recruits…" Rhys stood in front of a dozen recruits; his eyes which were still covered by his hair, scanning all of them one by one,

"All of you need to know one thing. You just do not realize it yet…" Rhys\'s voice was extremely cold,

"...But all of you are dead already."