Chapter 516: I Pay My Dues. (Bonus Chapter)
Seated across from Thoren, Solenne listened to his narration with her face marred by shock.
Her jaw was even slightly ajar as she struggled to process everything he was telling her. The more she listened, the more difficult it became for her to maintain her usual composure.
She had thought she and her guild members had borne the greatest brunt of the battle.
For this plan, their losses were simply too great to be swept under the rug without achieving their goal.
She had already prepared herself for the worst possible outcome. Even after everything they had sacrificed, there was still no guarantee they could accomplish what they had set out to do.
But when she heard Thoren had killed the Horn Lizard King, she was truly happy.
Yet, when she thought about how they were going to confront the mighty Scorpion Clan inside their fortress, once again, she became depressed, unsure of how they were going to proceed from there.
But now, she could not believe her ears.
"Are you serious?" She couldn’t help but interrupt him in his narration, her voice carrying disbelief as she stared at him.
"You killed the Scorpion King?!"
Watching the stunned expression on her face, Thoren couldn’t help but smile.
Whoosh!
Bang!
The ground trembled, and a suffocating pressure suddenly descended inside the room.
Solenne’s expression changed instantly as every nerve in her body screamed of imminent danger.
The sudden pressure was so overwhelming that her instincts immediately warned her that something terrifying had appeared nearby.
It was as if she were facing a colossal beast that was ready to devour her, and every instinct within her body urged her to prepare for battle before it was too late.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, she leapt from her seat and unsheathed her blades in one swift motion, immediately taking a fighting stance as her eyes swept across the room.
Her breathing became heavier, and the muscles throughout her body tightened as she prepared herself to face whatever terrifying existence had suddenly appeared.
Watching her reaction, Thoren couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Relax, it is not going to attack you," he said casually, his calm voice completely contrasting with the terrifying pressure filling the room.
"This is the Scorpion King, my undead servant," he explained, gesturing toward the towering figure standing beside him.
Hmm?
Solenne did not react immediately as her brain failed to process what he had just said.
Her eyes remained fixed on the terrifying figure while her thoughts struggled to connect his words with what she was seeing.
After a couple of seconds, the realization finally hit her, and her eyes widened even further.
"T-This..." she stuttered, unsure of what to say.
She was just too shocked to make a coherent statement. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out as she stared at the undead Scorpion King.
"How?"
Finally, she managed to ask the only question that came to her mind.
"I killed him, of course, and turned him into my undead servant," he said matter-of-factly.
Of course, she knew he had killed him and turned him into his undead servant, but that was not what she was asking.
What she wanted to know was how he had accomplished such an impossible feat.
The Scorpion King was not an ordinary Level 40 existence, and defeating him inside the heart of his own territory should have been an almost impossible task.
Yet, the answer was standing right before her.
Thoren was not ready to dive into the nitty-gritty of how he killed the Scorpion King and almost brought the Scorpion City to its knees.
Whoosh!
The Scorpion King took a slow step forward, and the oppressive aura surrounding his undead body immediately made Solenne’s expression tense again.
Even though she knew he was now under Thoren’s control, the instinctive fear remained.
It was difficult to simply forget that the creature standing before her had once been the terrifying ruler of the Scorpion Clan.
"Now, do you believe me?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Solenne stared at the undead Scorpion King for several seconds before slowly lowering her blades, her expression still filled with disbelief.
She finally understood that Thoren’s return was far more shocking than she had initially imagined.
Too shocked to speak, she could only nod mechanically before returning to her seat.
She knew Thoren was strong and powerful, but this was beyond her imagination.
This was something else entirely.
Finally, a deep sigh escaped from her lips as she stared at him with a complicated expression.
"I thought I already knew how strong you were, but I guess I was wrong."
"You’re nothing but a monster in human skin."
If he was not a monster disguised as a human, how could a single human take on both the Horn Lizard Clan and the Scorpion Clan without losing a single hair on his body?
The more Solenne thought about it, the more absurd the entire situation became. She had witnessed the strength of both clans firsthand, and she knew exactly how terrifying their king were.
Yet Thoren had faced them one after another and had somehow emerged victorious.
Remembering how everyone thought Necromancers were nothing but a useless occupation, she couldn’t help but chuckle at their ignorance.
How foolish had they been to judge an entire occupation without understanding its true potential?
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to regain her bearing, even though she still could not wrap her head around what she had just witnessed.
"So now, we won’t have any problem entering the Scorpion City, right?"
"Yes. Humans can now find clues to their trials as long as they follow the rules and pay the necessary fees."
"Fees?" She squinted slightly, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Do you think I’m a philanthropist? I paid my dues. Everyone who wants to receive a ticket to visit Scorpion City and access their library must pay."
He said it seriously, as though demanding payment from thousands of people was the most reasonable thing in the world.
"But this does not include your guild and the Twins Party. They’ve shown their worthiness, and that has earned them free tickets."
Listening to him, Solenne nodded in agreement.
She could understand that much. The Crimson Arc Guild had already fought alongside him, while the Twins Party had also proven themselves in their own way.
"So how expensive is this ticket?"
"Five thousand gold coins."
"What!"
Solenne couldn’t help but scream, her eyes widening as she stared at him in disbelief.
For several seconds, she simply looked at Thoren without saying anything.
She stared at him as if she were looking at a fool.
Of course, she knew he was not a fool.
But demanding five thousand gold coins for a single ticket was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Five thousand gold coins was an enormous amount of wealth for most awakeners, and even powerful guilds would have to think carefully before casually paying such a price.
"Do you think it’s too expensive?"
Thoren shook his head calmly.
"For anyone who is serious about leaving and ascending to the next floor, this is a cheap price to pay, if I’m being sincere."
Solenne stared at him for a moment before slowly shaking her head.
She did not even know what to say anymore.
From Thoren’s perspective, the price probably made perfect sense. Anyone who wanted to complete their trial and leave the Bleeding Desert would eventually have to obtain the information hidden within the Scorpion Clan’s library.
Five thousand gold coins was therefore not simply the price of entering a city.
It was the price of obtaining an opportunity to change their fate.
Even though she wished to convince him to reduce the price, she knew she had no right.
They had already gotten a free ride into Scorpion City, and asking for anything more would simply be overstepping her boundaries.
"So, how are you going to go about this ticket thing?"
Thoren smiled but did not reply.
"Fine. Do your thing." She shrugged.
She leaned back slightly in her seat, finally allowing herself to relax after everything she had learned.
"Now is the time to meet the others. I know they’re dying to meet you right now."
***
[AN: This Chapter is sponsored by: Scott_Bett_3382]