Chapter 86: The Defector

Roy had just popped out of the basement and stepped into the living room when he felt this weird vibe, like someone was eyeballing him.

Before, Roy might've missed that sneaky stare. But now, with Bill's sensory skills, he knew someone was lurking by the window behind him!

"Someone's in the house!"

Roy's heart did a little flip.

He didn't waste a second; after figuring out someone was there, he made a quick grab, pulling out two rune puppets from his coat to cover him. His other hand was already clutching the handle of the black scythe, ready to rip open a spatial rift if needed.

The intruder's presence confirmed his earlier hunch.

This place was a setup!

The hunter was here to check on the prey!

If it was who he thought it was, Nikola J, Roy knew he had one shot to make a move.

So he didn't even bother with his gun. The second he saw Nikola J, he had to strike before the dude could react. Even if it meant risking a deadly backlash, he had to take down the one spying on him.

All these decisions happened in a flash. Roy thought he was quick, but Nikola J was even faster!

As he twisted to spot Nikola J, his hand with the black scythe slashed sideways. It was all gonna be over in a heartbeat.

But then, something freaky happened.

Roy found himself stuck!

It wasn't mind control; it was like the air around him had turned to concrete, trapping him: "High-level control spell."

Right then, Nikola J behind him let out a surprised, "Oh, you're actually alive!"

"Top-tier pro."

Roy heard the voice behind him and muttered to himself.

But then, he chilled out.

The gap between their skills was so huge, no amount of effort could close it.

Plus, even though Roy had made a move, he didn't sense any "malice" from Nikola J behind him.

Nikola J clearly wasn't here to kill, or at least not yet.

As he spoke, Nikola J slowly walked around to face Roy, making his intentions clear: "Don't get it twisted, I'm not here to hurt you. Trapping you was for your own good, to stop you from doing something stupid."

Hearing this, Roy knew Nikola J had seen through his plans and played dumb: "Since you're a high-level pro, breaking into my house isn't exactly cool, is it?"

Nikola J, dressed in a black cloak that hid his face, making his features a blur, replied with a hint of respect: "You're pretty sharp. If it were someone else, even a high-level pro, they'd probably be dead by your blade by now."

Roy narrowed his eyes a bit, staying silent.

He thought Nikola J had figured out what was in his box and felt uneasy.

Roy figured that even if he didn't die today, he might not be able to keep the scythe.

But Nikola J seemed to read his mind and said straight up: "You got the 'Hypnos' Night Scythe,' right? Man, I didn't expect it to end up with you. But chill, that sealed item might be a big deal to others, but it doesn't do much for me. Not many could make me use such a weapon, and in a real fight, it wouldn't be much help."

Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Roy's eyes.

But he quickly caught the hidden message in Nikola J's words: There aren't many in Old Linton who could make me use this scythe!

To say something like that, Nikola J had to be insanely powerful.

Roy felt that looking at Nikola J was like facing someone even more mysterious than their Cross Association's leader, "Arbiter" Chuck.

And considering that Nikola J was being tracked by Bill, a major from the "Umbrella Organization," he was definitely not a simple dude.

But since he wasn't here for cash or to off someone, what was Nikola J's deal?

Oh, it had to be about that cursed space!

Roy kept his mouth shut, just listening, knowing Nikola J would spill the beans eventually.

Then, out of nowhere, Nikola J asked, "Did you hit up the black market earlier to find a master craftsman for a special implant?"

Roy's eyes narrowed, "Were you tailing me?"

His first thought was that he'd been followed.

But as Roy replayed everything in his head, he couldn't figure out when he slipped up. Plus, why would a big shot like Nikola J be following him?

"No, you got it wrong. I was just guessing."

Nikola J didn't leave him hanging and casually explained, "I didn't follow you. I just happened to drop by 'Rosen's Alchemy Shop,' and the owner mentioned someone wanted to commission a set of 'Eight-Armed Spider God Spears' dark gold implants. I figured there aren't many pros who could use such implants, most likely a puppeteer."

Pausing, Nikola J glanced at the two puppets Roy was controlling, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Seeing your puppet control skills, I just asked on a whim. Didn't expect it to be you."

Hearing this, Roy had an "aha" moment and asked in surprise, "Are you the 'master craftsman' the shop owner mentioned?"

A first-tier pro who could handle such complex implants as a puppeteer was indeed rare.

It was quite a coincidence for them to meet this way.

Roy thought about it and felt Nikola J had no reason to lie.

"Master craftsman, you could say that."

Nikola J's tone was chill. By now, he had already lifted the binding spell on Roy and asked, "Still need those implants forged?"

"Of course."

Freed from the restraints, Roy felt a lightness in his body but didn't make any rash moves. He even placed the black scythe on the ground.

Nikola J continued, "We can make a deal."

Roy: "I'm listening."

Nikola J showed no hostility, so Roy responded with enough courtesy.

Nikola J gave off a strange vibe, speaking politely and exuding the aura of a truly cultured noble gentleman.

To Roy, someone as flawless as Nikola J was either genuinely kind-hearted or extremely dangerous!

Nikola J said, "I can forge the implants for you for free, but in exchange, I want to know how you got out of that 'cursed space' in the basement. Of course, if the info is more valuable than my service, I'll compensate you accordingly."

"Deal!"

As expected, Roy agreed without hesitation.

He didn't think Nikola J would lie to him about the materials. After all, while the dark gold spider emperor legs were rare, they were just first-tier materials and held limited appeal to a high-level pro.

Moreover, since Nikola J proposed a deal, Roy had no grounds to refuse.

"However, before we proceed, I have a question."

Roy thought for a moment, trying to gain some leverage, and asked, "I want to know why there's a 'cursed space' in this house and why you're in my home."

Nikola J wasn't surprised by the question and casually asked, "Are you sure you want to know?"

Hearing this, Roy looked puzzled.

He had asked, so of course, he wanted to know.

Nikola J explained, "What I mean is, some things are a pain once you know them. So, do you want to invite trouble?"

Hearing this, Roy frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Can I choose to hear the part that won't bring trouble first?"

Trouble.

Roy knew very well that from the moment he discovered the cursed space, he was already knee-deep in trouble.

If he didn't get to the bottom of this, Roy would find it even more troublesome.

Roy needed some essential info to make decisions about his future.

"Heh, interesting."

Nikola J chuckled lightly and began, "Eight years ago, when a banker was developing this property, there was a 'mysterious disappearance incident.' At that time, I was leading the team responsible for handling the case. After some digging, I found out from old texts that this place used to be a hospital from the previous era. I also figured out some of the curse's quirks in this space."

He glanced at Roy, "Like you know, how to get in."

Roy's face stayed cool as he listened.

Nikola J continued, "Later, a bunch of folks went in to check it out but never came back, so this space got tagged as 'T-level' and was sealed off for good. Of course, there are some top-secret details involved, which I assume you wouldn't want to hear."

"Right."

Roy didn't push for the secret deets and just listened.

"As for why I'm here, it's because this is a trap I set. I sensed someone had entered, so I came to check."

Nikola J didn't hold back and spoke frankly, "Some stuff back then made me realize that this cursed space is tied to a big secret. Although I trashed the top-secret files and most of the informed folks died during the exploration, some traces couldn't be wiped out. Since someone was snooping around about me, I used those leftover clues to lead the investigators to the basement of this apartment. It cut off the trail and solved the problem."

After taking a breath, Nikola J added, "I didn't do this to harm regular tenants, which is why I said I mean you no harm. After all, you know the triggering method of this cursed space is pretty special."

He looked at Roy curiously, "So, I'm also curious, how did you get caught up in it?"

Roy simply replied, "I heard some people had died in the house before, so I thought about it a bit, and then I got pulled in."

Indeed, this trap wasn't meant for regular tenants. If he hadn't overthought it, nothing would have happened.

"Heh, it's not something that can be done just by overthinking."

Nikola J shook his head, a hint of admiration in his tone, "You're very meticulous. From the moment you came out and decisively left the apartment, I knew your discovery of the cursed space wasn't a fluke but a skill. If you were a second-tier pro, I might be interested in sharing some more intriguing secrets, but it's a pity."

Roy felt that Nikola J was spilling quite a bit of info, like he wasn't scared of being identified through these details.

Just as Roy wondered why he was doing this, Nikola J casually said, "Although I don't know how you know, I feel like you've already guessed my identity."

Hearing this, a barely noticeable sharpness flashed across Roy's face.

At that moment, he finally understood the source of his earlier unease.

Now he was certain that Nikola J had a "mind-reading" or similar ability!

Roy tried to keep his cool to avoid giving away any clues and simply explained, "I encountered 'Blind Detective' Bill in the cursed space."

With that statement, there was no need for further explanation; Nikola J would naturally fill in the blanks.

Nikola J, unfazed by the revelation, merely showed a hint of curiosity, "He's not dead yet?"

Roy: "No, he's dead. But his soul hasn't dissipated."

Nikola J listened and muttered to himself, "Just as the ancient texts described."

He then looked at Roy and said, "Alright, I've told you what you wanted to know. Now you can tell me what you know."

Roy didn't hesitate. In front of someone as powerful and sharp as Nikola J, playing games would only make him look like a fool.

"After I went in, I found it was an ancient hospital, marked as the third floor. I ran into monsters and later figured out the 'horror materialization' rule of the space."

Roy gave a quick rundown of his time in the cursed space, leaving out some of the more sensitive bits.

Nikola J listened closely, nodding here and there.

When Roy mentioned the "horror materialization" rule, Nikola J let out a soft "Oh," sounding both impressed and appreciative, "You actually figured out that rule. Tsk, this isn't just ordinary meticulousness. Is your talent [B-059-Thinker]?"

Roy deliberately left out the role of the [Omniscient Eye] in his story, making it sound almost unbelievable.

But he knew lying would be pointless with Nikola J, so he just dodged the question, "I'm just cautious."

"Heh."

Nikola J clearly didn't buy it but didn't push the issue.

After a moment of thought, he asked, "Didn't you run into a blue-skinned 'living corpse'?"

Roy knew Nikola J was trying to show he wasn't clueless about the cursed space.

Roy calmly replied, "I did. That monster was super fast and took out Bill in no time. Since I had heard about ways to break such spaces, I recited a name I happened to see in a moment of panic and got out."

"Which floor of the hospital did you encounter the monster?"

"Second floor."

"Which room?"

"Fifth room on the left."

"What was the name of the director?"

"Talmido M. Chekhov."

After grilling Roy with a few questions, Nikola J fell into deep thought.

Although Roy couldn't see his face, he could tell Nikola J was pretty pleased with the info he got.

For the first time, someone had survived a "T-level" cursed space, and Nikola J felt the gain far exceeded his expectations.

After a long pause, he spoke, "I'm very satisfied with your information. It even exceeds the value of me forging the materials for you. So, as agreed, I can offer you some additional compensation."

Pausing, Nikola J asked Roy, "What do you need? Money, materials, alchemical knowledge, anything."

Roy replied, "I haven't thought of anything I need for now."

Given the current situation, it wasn't the right time for him to ask for compensation.

Moreover, no matter what he got, Roy felt it would be a loss. After all, Nikola J was a top-tier pro in Old Linton and a 'master craftsman,' a figure unreachable by people from the outer city.

If Nikola J bore no ill will towards him, just knowing him would be more beneficial than any material wealth.

Nikola J didn't drag it out and straightforwardly said, "Then consider it a favor I owe you. When you need something, let me know. Give me your materials, and in five days, pick up the alchemical implants at 'Rosen's Alchemy Shop.' If you decide what you want in exchange for the favor, you can leave a message at the shop as well."

"Alright."

Conversations between smart people saved a lot of steps.

But Roy was also curious if Nikola J was really just asking a few questions without any other motives.

Moreover, their conversation was too casual. Wasn't Nikola J worried that the information he received might be false?

As Nikola J was about to leave, he seemed to have guessed something.

Nikola J, thinking that since Roy already knew his identity, there was no point in hiding, directly explained, "My talent is [C-042-Mind Reader]. Although it's not a very strong combat talent, it's quite practical."

Hearing this, Roy suddenly understood why he always felt that Nikola J could guess what he was about to say.

It turned out to be "mind reading."

However, Roy thought that the [Mind Reader] ability he knew of wasn't this exaggerated, as it was just a C-level talent.

He vaguely guessed that this might involve aspects of high-level pros that he didn't understand.