— "You're going alone. I hope you remember how to get through the tunnels. As for how you'll bring the cargo, that's your problem. You're the one working here; figure it out."
The two of them were dismissed.
— "So? Shall we hit the bar?"
— "No, I have to check out this job. Besides, I haven't forgotten that scare yet!"
— "Don't be a crybaby! It was for your own good!" Vincente shrugged and walked away.
Gantz sighed. I should have thought of a better approach; honestly, I'm lost. He looked at the map in his hand. I guess I'll take it one step at a time.
He went to a small market near his apartment and bought some supplies. The sun was fading, and the moon was already a faint shadow in the sky when he descended into the tunnels. The place was damp, and the smell of mold was strong. After walking a few meters, he heard moans coming from a corner. He didn't have a lantern, as his eyes could see in the dark.
Two people were hooked up in a gap in the tunnel, and things were getting intense. Gantz shook his head and walked away with a smile. He passed a few guards with spheres of yellow light floating above their shoulders and went down a slope that led to a swamp within the tunnels. He spotted something moving in the water and quickened his pace toward the exit.
This time, he used one of the boats hidden at the side of the tunnel to quickly cross the water. He'd heard there were unpleasant things swimming there; it seemed he'd been lucky the first time.
The forest seemed even denser than before. He pushed through it, even as branches whipped his face several times, until he found an improvised dirt road leading further in. The moon was full and shone just as it had on the night of the Werewolf attack.
It didn't take long to spot the wagon stopped at a bend. Two women were on top of it, holding crossbows. They aimed at him as he approached.
— "The richest Dwarf in the city!" Gantz shouted with his hands up.
The two lowered their weapons and climbed down. One had short hair with bangs covering her forehead; the other had straight hair, shaved on one side. They wore black cloaks.
— "Finally! My pussy was already getting stiff on that wagon," said the shorter one with the bangs, rubbing herself.
— "God, haven't I told you not to talk about your parts in front of others?"
— "So what? You gonna tell me he doesn't like a woman talking dirty?"
Gantz ignored them and looked at the boxes inside the wagon. He was grateful for his ring's vast space—there were four crates, each as large as a person. Taking advantage of their bickering, he pulled the crates into the ring.
— "Alright, I'm heading out!" He turned to leave.
The two watched him as he disappeared around the bend.
— "Look what you did! I wanted to have a quick fuck with him! Dammit!"
— "Can't you see a man without wanting to eat him?"
The sound faded into a whisper as Gantz moved away. Despite wanting to turn back—the short one was quite pretty—he kept going. Halfway back, he stopped and pulled out one of the crates. Using mana, Gantz carefully removed the lid. Inside lay a tall, bald man, appearing to be asleep.
— "What the...? What do they want with human trafficking?"
— "Something is wrong with this shit! Who is this Dwarf?"
Suddenly, Gantz ducked. A flash passed over his head. His tail uncoiled, propelling him upward as other flashes hit where he had stood. He landed and whipped his tail like a lash toward the hooded men. They dodged as the black stinger passed between them. One individual lunged, his movements almost instantaneous, appearing before Gantz like a ghost.
Gantz recoiled. Somehow, he felt every movement of the enemy, as if he knew what they would do in advance. Grabbing the man's wrist, he twisted it while pivoting to the enemy's flank. Using the enemy's own momentum, he slammed him to the ground, drew his blade, and turned to block another attack. His tail coiled like a spring, launching him forward. He curved his blade to the extreme and delivered a slash that severed one man's abdomen from the rest of his body.
The torso went rolling, arms flailing, kicking up a cloud of dust. Gantz knelt and shifted his blade upward, thrusting it straight into the enemy's elbow joint. He quickly changed direction and severed the hooded man's leg. Before the man could lose his balance, Gantz spun his body and, with a whirl, decapitated him, sending the head flying.
Gantz smiled—a cold, placid smile. His eyes glowed blue, and his hair almost looked blond as the moonlight reflected off the strands. The memories of his assassins flowed into his mind like an open dam, but he only felt excitement and welcomed it with pleasure. He held the sword in front of his face, reflecting one of his eyes.
The last enemy stood still, lost, seemingly unsure of what to do. Then, like a ghost, Gantz appeared in front of him. In a movement similar to the enemy's own, he dodged and watched as a headless body hit the dirt. The bizarre man with the scorpion tail was standing beside his body, smiling.
Approaching the corpses and removing the black cloaks, Gantz confirmed his suspicion: beneath the dark clothes were Church uniforms.
— "It seems the House of the Lord of the Tides is crawling with filth. But what they want with these people, I have no idea."
He collected the bodies with the ring and covered the blood with soil, though he doubted it would help much if anyone came looking. He also closed the crate after another look, noticing the individual wore a transparent mask—possibly to keep him unconscious or breathing.
After kicking dirt over everything and checking for anything obvious, he continued his way back. Looking at his left hand, he sighed deeply. I tried to avoid thinking about it, but there's no way. This is affecting me much more than I imagined. It's not just the memories, but the reflexes and the mana too. He closed his eyes and saw the blue barrier, now much thicker and more vibrant than before.
— "Even if it isn't all of the enemy's mana, it's still a considerable amount."
The memories flowed into his mind like intrusive thoughts, making him uncomfortable. Despite this, he forced himself not to pay them any mind. Having to live with the memories of those he killed was a burden he didn't wish to carry. But if he wanted to fulfill his objective, there was no choice.