Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 208: Spirit Grudge

It was already late, and Ryan had long since woken up. Ethan turned to him and asked, "How's Jade doing? Can we talk to her?"

The moment he asked, everyone's eyes were on him. Ethan quickly explained, "She's the spirit. She used to be my high school classmate."

His explanation only made things worse. The looks he got from the group grew even more suspicious. Williams, who rarely spoke, gave him a strange look and said, "Ethan… you didn't, you know, sleep with her and then ditch her, did you?"

As soon as he said it, everyone's expressions shifted to one of understanding, as if they'd just pieced together some scandalous story. Evelyn, on the other hand, looked at Ethan with disgust.

Leo, sitting next to Ethan, was completely lost. He tilted his head and asked, "Who's Jade? What spirit? And does Lyla know about this whole 'sleeping with her' thing?"

"She knows… wait, no!" Ethan blurted out instinctively, then quickly corrected himself. "What are you all talking about? We were just classmates!"

He then recounted how he'd run into Jade, how he'd bought the gym in a fit of anger, and how he'd ended up firing her. Only then did the group seem to understand.

But they were still curious. Why did Jade hate Ethan so much? Why had she lunged at him, even as the whip struck her, with such ferocity? Being fired couldn't possibly explain that level of hatred, could it?

Even Ethan was puzzled. That's why he'd asked Ryan if they could communicate with Jade. He wanted to know how she had died and why she harbored such intense hatred toward him.

Ryan checked the time. His words were slightly slurred from biting his tongue during the earlier beating. "We can try, but it's not the right time yet. We'll have to wait until midnight. But…"

He paused, glancing at Ethan, then continued, "She's extremely aggressive. It took a lot of effort to subdue her. If she sees you and goes berserk, we might have no choice but to destroy her."

He stopped again, waiting for Ethan's response.

Ethan understood what Ryan was implying. After a moment of thought, he said, "If we destroy her, what happens to Rowan and the others? The four in the hospital?"

As soon as Ethan finished speaking, Ryan turned to look at Evelyn. Ethan, confused, followed his gaze.

"Why are you looking at me? You haven't paid me a single cent yet. I'm not doing anything for free!" Evelyn shot Ethan a glare and went back to munching on sunflower seeds.

Ethan chuckled awkwardly and pulled out his phone. "Alright, boss, let's settle the bill. How much do I owe you?"

Evelyn's eyes lit up. She pulled out a calculator from who-knows-where and started tapping away. Ethan was stunned. Who carries a calculator around with them?

After a flurry of button presses, she named her price: $20,000.

Ethan didn't bother haggling. In Ethereal, a single high-grade Instant Health Potion cost more than that. He transferred the money without a second thought.

Evelyn looked disappointed when she realized Ethan wasn't going to negotiate. 'I should've asked for more,' she thought. But then she added, "Oh, and there's also the security fee.

Since you didn't catch that Rubber Man from the Ninth Division, our safety is now at risk. That'll be another $200,000."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "That's not my fault. I almost had him, but then I ran into something strange…"

He went on to describe the strange black-and-white phenomenon he'd encountered.

Ryan suddenly interrupted, "Dude, if you're going to lie, at least make it believable…"

"Huh?" Ethan was taken aback.

"Why don't you just say you ran into winter and summer at the same time? If you don't want to pay, just say so…" Ryan rolled his eyes, clearly not buying Ethan's story. He thought Ethan was making things up to avoid paying.

Being doubted like that seriously annoyed Ethan. "What the hell are you talking about, winter and summer? Explain yourself properly."

Ryan straightened his back and, out of nowhere, recited:

"Beyond the Northwestern Sea, past the bloodstained tides of Redwater, There lieth Hollowshade Peak, veiled in mist and shadowed woe.

There dwelleth the god, whose face is man's, yet whose form doth coil like the serpent, Crimson as spilled blood, with eyes that waver not, nor ever close in sleep.

When those dread orbs shut fast, night's black veil descendeth, And when they yawn once more, the world is drowned in blinding light.

A breath from His lips calleth forth the winter's howling wrath, A weary sigh unshackleth the sun's burning ire.

He taketh no meat, knoweth no slumber, nor bendeth to toil or rest, For wind and rain be but His messengers, heralding His will.

After finishing, Ryan sat there smugly, as if he'd just dropped some profound wisdom. Everyone waited for him to continue, but he just stopped there.

Thud!

"Speak English, damn it!" Leeroy suddenly kicked Ryan, sending him tumbling off his stool.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

"Ow! Dude, can you not resort to violence every damn time?"

"I'll stop when you stop talking nonsense."

Ethan and the others were at a loss for words. These two were a riot.

Ryan picked up his stool, looking aggrieved. "Is it that hard to understand? What I meant was: There's a so-called deity on a Mountain, with a serpent's body and a human face. When it opens its eyes, night turns to day. When it closes them, day turns to night. Its breath brings winter, and its exhalation brings summer. It's called the Abyssal Dragon, but some people also call it Candle Abyss.

There's also some other bizarre beliefs concerning this entity, I won't go into detail."

At this point, Ethan, Victor, and the others were wide-eyed. Ethan shot to his feet.

"These bizarre beliefs… Does it say that the Candle Abyss is actually two creatures combined? That the 'Candle' is a type of parasite? And that 'Abyss' is the serpent part? The parasite usually clings to the serpent's body, making up its scales?"

(AN: I've made a slight change to Chapter 157, where Doe explains the origins of the Candle Abyss. Feel free to check back on that chapter.)

Hearing Ethan's words Ryan was stunned into silence. He stood up and looked at Leeroy. "See? I told you and Evelyn earlier! He's just trying to avoid paying. If he knows such an archaic legend, he's definitely messing with us. And you said he wasn't that kind of person."

Leeroy, after hearing Ethan's explanation, also stared at him intently for a moment. But then he said, "You two only care about money. If it weren't for them today, would the three of us even be alive? The $20,000 is enough to cover the rent."

After Leeroy's words, both Evelyn and Ryan fell silent.

Ethan sat back down, and Victor, Leo, and Williams exchanged glances. They all had the same thought: the person Ethan had encountered was likely Celeste. But why had Celeste saved that guy?

"Ethan, that voice message…" Victor asked tentatively.

Ethan nodded. "She's my senior, from the same major as me."

Victor suddenly understood. The mystery of Leo's missing phone was solved. With Celeste's skills, it would've been easy for her to pickpocket Leo. That meant the binary message had also been sent by her, using a method only a programmer like Ethan would understand.

As for why she'd done it, it was likely to avoid surveillance or for some other reason.

But why had she intervened to save that guy? That part still didn't make sense. Celeste must already be working with the enemy. Did that mean the Rubber guy was part of that mysterious organization?

At first, they'd assumed the team they fought today was part of the Ninth Division. But still, none of them could believe the Ninth Division could be that ruthless, that inhumanly cold.