In a state of complete shock and vulnerability, Gaige could only lie there, paralyzed, while Ellise continued her cruel game with his battered body. The pain from his cracked bones cut through him like a knife, piercing his internal organs with every torturous movement. Adal's persistent system notification about his declining health served as a haunting backdrop to this nightmarish ordeal. Not only is he unable to speak or move in response to what Ellise has revealed, but he has also allowed Ellise to strip him naked and devour his body. He only watched her while lying on the floor as she played with his body for an hour. "What's the fun in this for you? Did you actually find it satisfying even when I wasn't responsive?" Gaige finally spoke after observing that Ellise had seemingly had her fill. She lay beside him, breathing heavily, with Gaige's essence spilling from her. She didn't offer a response, prompting him to continue with his inquiries, curious about her motivations. "Di
Gaige was deeply concerned that his one billion EC might vanish if Eric confronted Ellise and caused her to change her mind. The transaction was still pending, and it was susceptible to cancellation if Eric's actions disturbed her. Earning one billion EC was no easy feat. Gaige had to complete thousands of high-level missions to accumulate such a substantial sum of money. It was frustrating for him to see everyone around him creating a dramatic scene when he knew he would be fine after buying a healing potion the next day. He mustered the energy to call out to Eric, who seemed ready to confront Ellise. Gaige wanted to prevent Eric from taking any action that might jeopardize his transaction. "Eric, don't leave," Gaige croaked out. Eric assured Gaige that he would be back, explaining that they were going to take him to the hospital. Gaige didn't want to let go of Eric's pinky, fearing that it might disrupt the billion-EC transaction. He refused to be put to sleep during the operatio
[Congratulations! You ranked up!] [Purger Gaige rank: 299] "Wow, why are they working so hard?" Gaige commented as he read the newly updated system rank. "They have to work hard so you'll get stronger," Gun replied while cleaning himself with Gaige's sleeve to remove the bloodstains on his grip. "Hmm. That's nice," Gaige remarked. According to Gaige's original plan, he allowed Patal, Lisa, and Gun to handle the hunting while he remained in his own building, patiently waiting for them to bring him the purgeable targets. Today marked the third day that the trio had been hunting for Gaige. Most of the targets they presented to him were already on the brink of death, requiring only a finishing blow from Gaige to count as his own purge. Gaige appreciated this arrangement because he didn't have to worry about being penalized for any destruction caused by Lisa and Patal; it wouldn't be attributed to him. "That's enough for today. Rest up," Gaige said, glancing at his EXP, which had inc
"Where's Gun?" Axel inquired, needing to check if the casing they had created would fit him, but Gun was nowhere to be found. Gaige chuckled before responding to Axel, "Gun is out on an adventure." Axel didn't quite understand, assuming Gaige had sent Gun on some kind of mission. He decided to leave Gaige alone, as he seemed to be enjoying himself, engrossed in his phone. Meanwhile, Gaige wore a mischievous smile as he watched a video that had gone viral on a social networking site and featured a talking and moving gun. Many people thought it was a new toy being marketed in the street, which made Gaige find it amusing to track Gun's whereabouts. Gaige leisurely reclined on his bed while repeatedly rejecting Gun's requests to be returned to his weaponry. Eventually, Gun successfully returned to Gaige's building at dinner time. "Hi, how was your adventure?" Gaige asked nonchalantly while munching on roasted chicken. Gun was quite irked, so he kicked Gaige's plate and raised his voi
The next day, as part of their plan to catch Andy while he was still a bottom-ranker, Gaige had to travel from Celete City to the town of Eque. Both Celete and Eque were within Ademordna, but it took a two-hour plane ride to reach Eque. Flying on a plane was a source of fascination for Gaige. He could jump up in the sky or hop from building to building, but he couldn't fly high or travel through the air. In his previous life, he had ridden dragons and wyverns but had never experienced a plane journey. As a result, Gaige couldn't help but look around the airport in amazement. The airport itself already impressed him, and the sight of the plane itself added to his fascination. Meanwhile, Lisa and Patal smiled, relieved to see Gaige acting his age again. He looked innocent and pure as he observed everything around him, asking questions about whatever fascinated him. "Is there a problem?" Patal asked when he noticed Gaige staring out of the window for an extended period. He wondered if
Gaige remained tightly wrapped around Patal. He kept his face buried behind Patal’s back so the angel bothering him would no longer have the chance to put its hand on his mouth. Meanwhile, Patal was entirely perplexed by Gaige’s sudden action. He wanted to know what was wrong with Gaige but he couldn't see his face, only his vibrant scarlet hair.He asked, "Sir Gun, what’s going on?" Patal possessed a license and was registered as a bodyguard, allowing him to carry a gun. Gun, nestled within Patal’s pouch, emitted a sigh-like sound from his muzzle. He then prodded Gaige's side, but Gaige remained unresponsive due to his preoccupation with the angel's insistence on covering his mouth and Adal's incessant notifications. "Hey, let your wisdom core take control. Rest for a while," Gun advised. "What? You want Adal to control my body?" Gaige inquired, his head still lowered as Gun remained concealed inside Patal’s coat case within a pouch. "Just do it. Your wisdom core won’t get you int
The presence of a wisdom core was indeed a rare and unique skill, one that even high-ranking purgers rarely obtained. Gun found it amusing that someone of Gaige's lower rank possessed such exceptional ability, but he wasn't entirely surprised, given Gaige's reputation for unpredictability. The wisdom core operated as an intelligence core residing within a purger's consciousness. Its actions were guided by calculations, not emotions, and primarily aimed to assist and guide purgers in advancing their ranks based on the system's principles. Since Adal's behavior deviated from the typical wisdom core, Gun couldn't help but ask, "Are you really a wisdom core?" Gun felt a chill wash over him as he awaited Adal’s response, hoping that his suspicions were mistaken. There was another even rarer type of wisdom core: the Sentient Intelligence Core, commonly abbreviated as SIC. SIC possessed unique skills, akin to a sentient entity with its own abilities. It was an item imbued with self-aware
Adal had a taste of her own medicine as Gaige bothered her in the same way she had bothered him whenever he went against the system’s norms. Gaige not only amused himself by bombarding Adal’s mind with his silly imitation of her mechanical voice but also released a shrill imitation of a notification bell, further adding to her discomfiture.[Ding-Ding! ERROR! Adal is suspicious!] [Ding-Ding! ERROR! Adal is suspicious!] [Ding-Ding! ERROR! Adal is suspicious!] [Ding-Ding! ERROR! Adal is suspicious!]Adal, who had maintained a stoic demeanor all along, finally learned to frown. She sat up from the sandy ground and closed her eyes, attempting to force herself to swap with Gaige again, but her efforts were futile. She couldn't impose her way back in, leaving her to wonder how Gaige could consistently go against the system when she couldn't even exercise control over what should have been entirely within her purview. Adal heaved a long, deep sigh before resuming her conversation with Gai