Chapter 172: Complimenting Fatty
’Are these guys prodigies or something? They are much better than me when I was incorporating Piece myself.’
Cillian mused inwardly, feeling speechless as he watched the three of them do their own thing most of the time.
No struggle.
These three people, who had never encountered the brink of being in a vegetative state unlike him, made him look like a joke. He had to see himself in a mirror with his skin peeling off his body, after all.
Almost seemed like they were trying to say they were better at this than him. Well, Vin was an obvious exception since he had already gone through a similar experience with his first Piece.
Fergus could also be considered a genius since he was already above average in terms of skills compared to his peers. He wasn’t a minor villain for nothing, and it was definitely showing right now.
’This fatty is really interesting.’
But what surprised Cillian the most was his friend Phillip. Because he was worried about this fat fellow, he had paid close attention to him, thinking he might be the one who would encounter such trouble when undergoing the incorporation.
Yet not only had he gone unscathed throughout the process, but Phillip was also the first one to finish among the three!
There’s no such thing as a bad or good Piece, nor is there a higher or lower quality. After all, every Piece has its uses, and its quality doesn’t affect the user when they incorporate it into themselves.
It was up to them, the users, how they were going to use it. Though there were some people who preferred specific Pieces.
That’s why they possessed the Runic Books of certain gates and had looked at what they wanted to have or not before even attempting to add or obtain a Piece.
’I don’t know what Fergus had given to them, or if he had any prior knowledge of what Pieces they held, but it’s all good in the end.’
Cillian pondered inwardly, knowing that the Pieces the two currently possessed had come from Fergus, judging by the way he talked.
He knew their Pieces came from him, but since there were no risks involved, he let them accept them as payment for sticking around.
Couldn’t help but feel proud for this fatty, Cillian approached Phillip and gave him a tap on the back.
"Congrats, you’re a Ruiner now. And when the hell did you surpass me, hmm? You didn’t even break a sweat when incorporating your Piece. I bet you’re feeling high and mighty now."
Vin, who was visibly exhausted and regretted not having a [One] on his Pieces, smiled proudly at Phillip and commented. Wiping the sweat that had formed on his forehead, he said.
"You’re amazing, Phillip."
Phillip, who was receiving all these compliments, couldn’t help but smile sheepishly, though he was visibly embarrassed.
"Hehe, I just followed what Cillian said earlier while remembering the things I had to keep in mind when researching how to become a Ruiner. If not for that, I might’ve failed."
Fergus decided to chime in, taking a deep breath as he stood up, his white polo drenched in sweat.
"No, it’s your own strength that made you like this. Good job, Phillip."
Phillip stared at Fergus for a brief moment before speaking in a rather awkward tone.
"Thanks, Fergus."
Fergus then grabbed a spare shirt from his bag and removed his top before changing. After putting on another white polo shirt, he wiped the sweat from his nose before looking at the three of them.
"This is where our deal ends, Phillip and Vin. Thank you for giving me a bit of your time. And you..."
Fergus paused, his eyes darting at Cillian.
"The reward I’ll give you is somewhere in my family’s residence. I don’t know what would satisfy you after doing this, so I think it’s better to let you choose it yourself. I don’t want to hear you complaining about being disappointed and all that."
’Eh? It’s not inside of your bag you’re bringing? Why the hell is it big then?’
Cillian questioned inwardly, a frown forming on his face as he found Fergus’s words suspicious.
"I don’t like this. I held up my end of the bargain so that you could have a smooth transition into becoming a Ruiner. Why wouldn’t you just bring whatever you think I’ll be choosing? If it’s not to my liking, you can simply keep bringing me different items until I find something I’m satisfied with."
Even though Fergus got one thing right, the fact that he would indeed throw some remarks his way out of disappointment, his words just now were hard to believe when there was an easier way to do things.
He needed to come to the family’s residence? It was almost like being invited to his death.
Fergus, who felt like Cillian was trying to provoke him again, let out a sigh and said calmly.
"There’s an important function of this armory that requires two people to be inside, one of whom must be a registered Viola member. This mechanism is in place to prevent people from stealing anything from us."
’Armory? So it’s basically an equipment. Should I choose a sword?’
Cillian was considering getting a sword for himself since he didn’t want to repeat the same situation where the blade of his sword snapped in the middle of a fight. And the Viola Armory definitely had something like that.
However, there was a problem.
’Hmm, if this was a trap Fergus had set to get his revenge on me, assuming he was even thinking of doing so, the flag above my head would definitely change. But it’s still white. At least for now...’
Thinking that he really needed a great weapon he could use at any time, Cillian pondered for a good few minutes before finally speaking.
"I’m coming with you."
Then he paused and pointed at both Vin and Phillip.
"But these two are coming with me."
...
After riding in the carriage for an hour, Cillian and the group got down by the side of the road as the wrecked Viola residence came into view. Nothing had changed since before, aside from the fact that it was completely destroyed, with no signs of renovation having started yet.
It was just a clear area, but it felt eerily empty and devoid of any life.
"Follow me."
Fergus led the way inside, with Cillian, Vin, and Phillip following behind him. They moved across the wrecked garden, with a fountain in the middle, passing through the library and entering one destroyed building after another until they eventually reached the Viola’s great armory, located in the basement of the residence.
"This was a secret that only my family knows. It came from—"
"Nobody wanted to hear bullshit. Just go."
Fergus instantly fell silent when Cillian urged him to do so. Then, the last living member of the Viola signaled for Cillian to come closer, and they stood side by side.
After Fergus pressed his hand against the wall, the secret armory of the Viola came into view, revealing an abundance of weapons of all shapes and sizes inside.
’Damn!’
"As a bonus, after Cillian picks up a weapon, you two should also choose whatever you like, Vin and Phillip—"
As Fergus took his time entering, Cillian immediately followed after seeing that Fergus hadn’t died. He had to make sure this wasn’t a trap after all.
Then, he made his way toward the section dedicated to swords, where he spotted one that caught his eye, picked it up, and saw its name on the card displayed where it had been placed.
It was a simple steel sword with a sharp blade and a sturdy handle, made for reliable use in combat.
[Hunter Athena]
’It feels light and doesn’t feel bad in my grip. It’s great, I’ll choose this.’
"Already picked up a sword... And I was wondering if you’re going to choose a bow."
A soft mutter escaped from Fergus’s mouth as he also went to the same section as him. Then picked up a sword and suddenly pointed its tip toward Cillian’s direction.
This action made Cillian look at him as he was close by. But instead of feeling nervous, he smiled and entertained him.
"You’re going to fight me, Fergus?"
Fergus slowly approached Cillian as he waved his sword around.
"Please, you don’t have to call me Fergus. You’re nothing but an imposter inhabiting my friend’s body. I have a question, though. How is it possible for someone to possess another person’s body? Hmm?"
’Uh, ask The Fool?’
Cillian joked inwardly, even though he found it unlikely to happen. But he continued entertaining Fergus by saying.
"What should this imposter call you then?"
Then Fergus, gritting his teeth, got angrier as he lunged forward and shouted,
"Bring my friend back!"
It seemed he wasn’t the type of person who liked to wait to find out.
’Ugh, I’m having chills.’
It wasn’t because Cillian was afraid of Fergus, but because his dialogue was nothing but clichés that he kept spouting for a typical character in a novel.
’So corny.’