Glenn wiped the blood off his bastard sword, grimacing. There were five corpses in front of him, three cows and two goats. The largest dead cow of the bunch was riddled with tiny holes in a comb pattern, each filled with wriggling parasites. Glenn killed the cow, but not the monster controlling and living inside it. He had been forced to cut the cow legs, for it would only try to charge him, forcing him to use Gravity Manipulation more than once, even though he had tried not to use magic if possible.

Kevin pushed his glasses up, confused.

"T—This Corpse Hive is still a threat, Sir Glenn. You should execute it swiftly," He stated, worried. The squeaky assistant was keeping a reasonable distance from the corpses, apparently not comfortable being around them. Glenn shrugged and crouched in front of the infested cow.

'That's an interesting organism,' Diamanes commented. Glenn could only agree. Corpse Hives were strange parasites, living off corpses and controlling them to feed their growth. The young man shook his head and held his right hand toward the Corpse Hive, using Sun's Touch to ignite the body. The cow corpse went up in flame, and the wriggling parasites burned alive with a hiss. Glenn then used Gravity Manipulation to pull the other corpses near the burning one, so they could get incinerated together.

Glenn sheathed his sword and dusted his hands off, before turning toward Kevin.

"Tell me, Kevin, what even are those things? I know you ran me through the basics on the way here, but it wasn't very detailed, you know...?"

Kevin nodded and pulled up his notepad, flipping the pages up.

"Of course. Corpses Hives are relatively common parasites, who'd leech off abandoned corpses to grow. They'll first find a main host, generally, the larger and stronger corpse possible, before infecting the other corpses around. The main Hive produces the parasites while feeding on the host's flesh. Once the latter isn't enough, it infects more corpses, controlling them to bring it food. The older the Hive, the more corpses it can control. They can be hard to handle, for the Hive can try and relocate itself to a living host when it finds itself in mortal danger, and only mages can safely take care of them without risking an infection..."

Kevin frowned and looked at Glenn, "...Even though you barely used any magic in the fight and went at it only with your sword. A...dangerous strategy against such opponents, but as long as it ends well..."

Glenn chuckled and waved at the assistant dismissively; "Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing. I needed to train my swordsmanship, anyway, and what better opponent than one whose hit I can't allow?"

Nelg laughed, "...Haha, that Corpse Hive thing came with the equivalent of five souls! And it was pretty easy to kill, too. You should try to get rid of most of them, maybe it'll speed the leveling up process."

The young man noted his sword's suggestion in a corner of his head. After all, this "Culling" he had started, as Kevin liked to call it, had for the main objective the creation of Nelg's First Circle, which needed...oh god...Three thousand and one hundred souls, minus five. If he could concentrate on creatures giving out more souls, perhaps he could indeed make things go a little more efficiently.

Kevin moistened his lips before pushing his glasses back up his nose, "...Would you like to know the next target, Sir Glenn?"

Glenn nodded slowly, before frowning. He turned toward his assistant, curious.

"I didn't realize before, but you keep on calling me "Sir". Why?"

Kevin's eyebrows creased in confusion, "...Because you're a Sir? Sir Glenn, the Devil's Hand, who drove off the Thorn's Cult with the Black Swordsman and the Red Witch, who stopped an evil god's advent in Palancar, and who saved Monsier Maron of the Maron Company. Your station deserves a fitting title, Sir Glenn."

The young man's eyelids flinched, and he mentally cursed at himself. He was starting to understand where all of his pseudonyms and his reputation came from; either Montana, the bard who could clone himself, or Maron, the merchant who was now half-made of Blumar. Why did he think it was a good idea to let them sing his praises like that?

"As if you don't like the attention," Nelg mocked, cackling. Glenn smacked his lips, unable to contain a small grin. Yes, he kind of liked the fame, and what was wrong with that? He deserved it, as far as we were concerned! What he didn't like as much, were the dumb, cringeworthy nicknames. How did people even come up with those?

'I can guess where Devil's Hand came from, heh,' Diamanes laughed wickedly. His host sighed and shook his head, concentrating back on his assistant.

"Listen, Kevin, I understand where you're coming from, but I'd rather not be called a Sir."

Kevin replied without losing momentum, "...Would you prefer Master, then? Magi? Fixer? Or one of your nicknames, like the Insane Hero?"

Glenn closed his eyes in shame and hurriedly waved both of his hands to stop him. Yeah, these nicknames were too much.

"J—Just...call me Fixer. Yeah, Fixer works alright."

Kevin bowed slightly, his notepad pressed against his chest.

"As you wish, Fixer Glenn."

Glenn sighed and looked at his assistant's notepad.

"So, what's the next target, Kevin?"

The assistant stood straight back up and looked at his notepad, readjusting his glasses' position.

"A Gold-Rank Fixer by the name of Josh went insane after losing his team some time ago. He tried to combine an ancient summoning ritual with the Pale Plague curse, and ended up succeeding."

Glenn frowned. Josh? Didn't he know a Pale Son named Josh, who also lost his team? Javier's colleague, who was on Gentle Knight's team, ended up decimated in Palancar's events. The young man rubbed the corner of his eyes before squinting suspiciously at Kevin.

"...Is there a reason I'm the one sent to deal with him?"

Kevin silently pushed his glasses upward, not replying. Glenn sighed. Of course, there was a reason. He was probably the most powerful individual around, and the one closest to Josh knew that the guy's team was gone. He didn't know Josh that well, but he did go through thick and thin with him. Hopefully, there'd be a way to save him...

The assistant shook his head as if he read open Glenn's face like a book.

"He became a powerful Corrupted, he can't be helped. Power isn't fair toward anyone who fails to control it."

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Glenn blinked for a few seconds, before chuckling dejectedly. So that was what a Corrupted was; a man who lost his mind, who once possessed enough power to be treated as a living weapon by larger factions. There indeed was a side effect to learning magic and aura, then. Going mad and becoming a monster, like Laurence, like Josh, and maybe like many others in this accursed world. As if power wasn't already hard to seize, to begin with, there was also the risk of getting insane to be considered.

Nothing was ever simple in this world, was it? And now, he had to kill someone he knew, someone he fought alongside with?

What had he done to deserve that?

"...Guide the way, Kevin. Anything I should know?"

Kevin began guiding the way, speaking as he walked.

"Josh was a proficient archer, as most of his people are. I believe that's thanks, or maybe because of the Pale Plague, which heightened infected individuals' senses. This is a theory that has yet to be proven, for there are not many researchers brave enough to risk catching the Pale Plague."

Kevin flipped another page, his eyes flickering left and right as he read.

"The ritual Josh performed distorted the Mana, creating Rifts without stopping. We already sent three teams of Gold Fixers, but they were all killed by arrows piercing their brains."

The assistant frowned and looked up at Glenn, "...Are you going to be fine, S—Fixer Glenn," He quickly corrected himself. Glenn looked at him, then at the road.

"...Yes, probably."

The truth, is he wasn't feeling fine at all about that, but what else could he do but put down the rabid dog? There was no treatment for insane people in this world, for how could you control a crazy man if the latter could rip through steel with his hands, or shoot wall-piercing arrows? There was no restraining him, only the final choice.

'It's for the best. Steel yourself, for a Corrupted, isn't a nice sight to witness,' Diamanes warned, with an unconventionally serious tone. Glenn pressed his lips together and didn't reply to the entity.

"Is the crisis contained for now?" He asked, turning toward his assistant. His pace increased slightly, at the same speed his worry did. Kevin nodded.

"Yes, the Magi Brotherhood placed a restriction ward to forbid people from entering or exiting the area of Josh's influence. Nonetheless, the longer a Corrupted is left to fester, the worse it becomes and the harder it is to take care of it. I'd urge you to take care of it as soon as possible, Fixer Glenn."

The young man gritted his teeth and glared at Kevin, "Why didn't you tell me about Josh right away, then? The bloody Corpse Hive wasn't an urgent problem, in comparison. What game are you playing, assistant?"

Kevin froze and gulped, unable to look away from Glenn's eyes. The assistant forcefully opened his mouth, his notepad slipping down from his hands.

"I—I have received strict instructions—"

Glenn sneered and turned around. Strict instructions? So that's how the Workshop wanted to play it? Testing him on the field, to see if he was stable or something? To see if he was skilled enough, perhaps?

No problem, then. He'll show them stability and skills. He wanted to rest peacefully, to farm souls without much worry, but it seems like fate really liked to fuck with him, didn't it? This world did enjoy seeing him struggle, seeing him in pain in front of decisions such as this one.

"Just get me to Josh so I can be done with this," Glenn spat dryly. Kevin hurriedly picked his notepad up before almost running through the Northern Town. The young man followed behind him, his teeth and fists tightly clenched.

"...And here I was, thinking this was going to be a good day," Nelg sighed, disappointed. Diamanes remained silent, without any comment to add.

A few minutes later, Glenn arrived on Rampart Street, which led to an area next to the Wall. A few mages were chanting with their hands pressed against the ground, some changing spots with others who were waiting for their turns. There was no visible interference, but Glenn could feel the ward blocking the way to the following area. He was pretty sure the area warded off was a large park named Dale Square. There was going to be a lot of open space, and not a lot of cover, which worked in advantage for both Glenn and Josh. The young man rubbed his forehead, resigned. He turned to Kevin, who was gasping heavily from running so quickly.

"Kevin, go get Javier, Milena, and..." Glenn paused, frowning. Inviting Liara to the fray was probably not a good idea. He had no idea of what she could or could not do, even though he could guess that she was more powerful than she let on. She was a Black Heir after all, with a special white mark on her forehead, a cross.

"...and that will be all. Hurry up, I'll try to see what I can do alone," Glenn decided, pushing Kevin in the opposite direction. The assistant heaved with difficulty, before running back the way he came from, leaving to obey Glenn's orders. The young man turned back and looked at the ward and the mages maintaining it.

"...Shit, do I really have to do this?" Glenn muttered, his expression grim. He looked at his hands and realized they were trembling. He wasn't scared so much as he was reluctant. He felt like he was betraying something, someone. One of the mages on standby approached me.

"The entry point is ready, Fixer. Good luck," The mage held his hand toward Glenn, who shook it without thinking much of it. The mage seemed compassionate to his sentiments, but Glenn couldn't care less. He was going to have to put down someone who was once his colleague, and no matter how many times he repeated himself that there was no other way, it still left a taste of ash in his mouth.

Glenn shook his head and walked up to the ward, passing through without any struggle. His surroundings suddenly changed, far from the normal city that he had seen on his way here. As soon as passed the boundary of the ward, the illusion was broken, and the destruction was revealed. The ground was opened in multiple places, red lava pouring out slowly from the Rifts. The reality was distorted around them, monsters coming out one after the other from them. Snakes and lizards burning with deep red flames, all of different sizes, the smaller being dog-sized and the larger car-sized.

There were corpses right beside the entry, their flesh burned away and their bones charred black. Glenn would have almost believed the setup, if it wasn't for the arrow tips lost here and there, hints that something else than fire killed these Gold Fixers. But Glenn didn't even need those hints; he already knew who—no, what killed them.

Because what Josh currently was couldn't be categorized as a human anymore.

Glenn looked up from the corpses at Dale Square. There were no trees, no houses, nothing left. The whole area had been burned down to ashes. And right in the center of this plain of ashes and fire, sitting with loneliness was a pale figure.

'...This is giving me Palancar vibes, what's with all the ashes and all that?' Diamanes asked, puzzled. Nelg didn't comment, having the same feeling as the other entity. Glenn slowly walked past the corpses, his Mana firing up to protect him in a Gravitational Shield. Parts of the ground around him were suddenly ripped out, and pulled in around him to gravitate, giving him a layer of physical protection, like an asteroid belt. If any projectiles, spells, or anything would come his way, he'd be able to pull it in his Gravitational Shield. Unless that projectile had incredibly powerful piercing powers. In that case, he could just shoot another spell to block it, like Carbon Blade or Blackhole. Even Implosion could work.

Glenn unsheathed Nelg, injecting Mana into it to awaken it. The sword took on its slender form, ready to Cut & Pull. The snake and lizard monsters cowered back from him, letting him pass to reach Josh. Soon enough, the young man was standing in front of his old colleague.

Josh was pale, even paler than before. A small, mocking grin was hanging on his lips, and his bow was placed right to his side, the bowstring broken. His hands were hidden sight, as was his upper face behind a bone mask.

"Glenn," He saluted with a ragged, cavernous voice. A voice that reminded Glenn of a singular creature he had met a long time ago: Father Albenas.

"...Josh," Glenn saluted back coldly, his voice dry and his hand tightly wrapped around the hilt of his sword.

The Pale Son slowly looked up at his new opponent, his mocking grin melting away. The smile turned side, transforming into a sad one.

"...So you've also come to kill me, then. You've also become one of them, huh?" His voice went up in the high notes at the end. Glenn frowned and shook his head, ready to attack or defend at any signs. If he could talk to Josh, he would. Perhaps they were all wrong; perhaps there was a way to save him from this state—

"DON'T LOOK AWAY FROM ME!" Josh suddenly shouted, standing up violently as his bow flew to his hand. Glenn looked at the Pale Son, his eyes widening when he realized why the latter had hidden his hands since earlier.

Instead of the common number of five, fleshy fingers, Josh now had twenty of them for each hand, all devoid of flesh, muscles, or anything but bone, and the mask...wasn't a mask. It was Josh's face, similarly skinned. The man's chest bulged as if something was trying to come out of it. Glenn felt a shiver down his back, and he understood what they all meant when they said a Corrupted couldn't be helped.

There was nothing left of Josh to save in this thing.

He was a monster waiting to be ended.

Nothing else.