Book 3: Chapter 35: Division

When Matthew asked for Gadurot’s Phantom Demon Pearl in exchange for Lou Ying, Pan Hu was quite surprised but secretly felt relieved. On the other hand, an indignant expression appeared on Lou Ying’s face.

Gadurot was the Phantom Demon BOSS of the Undersea Temple. Its Phantom Demon Pearl could not only be exchanged for a lot of Faction Reputation but was also linked to the hidden Plot Mission of this Phantom Demon base, making it very valuable to the Reincarnators of the Oni Clan. However, compared to Lou Ying’s life, it was nothing.

Although Pan Hu was big and burly, he had a hidden sharpness. When he realized the danger, he did not turn back to save Lou Ying because he was already quite far away. Speed had never been an MT’s strong suit. Rather than giving up the treasure and still failing to save his companion, it was better to secure the treasure to exchange for his companion’s life.

Originally, Pan Hu had prepared to sacrifice all his gains for Lou Ying’s survival. However, apart from the Dark Gold Equipment he had already obtained, Matthew only asked for the Phantom Demon Pearl, which made Pan Hu regard this big black man more highly.

The DF space where Pan Hu and Matthew were located was a relatively mature Superstring Space, where the principle of equivalent exchange ran deep. In fact, among High Rank Reincarnators, as long as there were no opposing kill missions, they generally preferred not to make deadly enemies.

High Rank Reincarnators had extremely rich life-saving methods. As long as they didn’t die, there was always a chance to make a comeback. No one dared to say they could definitely eliminate their opponent. Making too many deadly enemies not only brought harm to oneself but also dragged down the entire team. Usually, after battles, more Reincarnators would use equipment ransom to save their companions’ lives.

Logically, since Lou Ying was now in Jote’s hands, it would not be excessive for Matthew to ask for all their gains. However, the big black man only asked for one piece of Dark Gold Equipment and one quest item, which essentially meant he still left the bulk of the gains to Pan Hu and Lou Ying.

Matthew’s strategy was actually correct. The principle of equivalent exchange was not wrong, but this rule had to operate on an equal footing. The Fūma Group, which Pan Hu and Lou Ying belonged to, was a veteran Reincarnator team, and their strength was far beyond what Matthew’s temporary team of three could match.

Why did Lou Ying remain silent at first, willingly admitting defeat and lowering his head, only to show an indignant expression after hearing that Matthew only asked for the Phantom Demon Pearl? The reason was simple—Matthew was too sensible. If this was the only outcome, the Fūma Group would definitely not go out of their way to hunt down Matthew and the others just for Lou Ying’s personal pride.

“No!” Just when everyone, including Qin Lun, thought the matter was settled, a discordant voice rang out in the center of the area.

“Matthew, Reincarnators fear neither life nor death. Are you so afraid of the Fūma Group that you act like this as a leader?” Jote, hiding behind Lou Ying, said sinisterly, “Heh heh, I won’t sign this kind of contract!”

Jote’s words swept across the square like a chilly wind, causing everyone to freeze momentarily. Since the hostage was in his hands, he certainly had the right to speak, but… was this guy an idiot?

No, this guy could pretend to be dead so well that no one noticed, and his patience was so strong—he probably wasn’t a complete fool. Then… he must have another card up his sleeve.

Pan Hu gave Matthew a strange look. In any case, Jote’s objection at this time was first and foremost a challenge to Matthew’s authority, so he didn’t need to rush to speak.

Lou Ying’s face even showed a cold smile. The more Jote overstepped, the happier he was. If it led to the Fūma Group hunting down Matthew and the other two, he would definitely be ridiculed by his teammates and might even have to pay some hunting expenses. However, as long as he could wash away the current humiliation, he was willing to pay some price.

“Jote, what do you mean?” Junko angrily shouted in the Team Channel.

“Heh heh, what do I mean? I took the biggest risk earlier and got the least reward. Now, I risked being stepped to death by the Phantom Demon BOSS while pretending to be dead. Is it wrong to ask for a little more?” Jote sneered.

“Jote, the Fūma Group is strong. We don’t have the power to oppose them. The agreement cannot be changed. The Dark Gold Equipment we got earlier will go to you—how about that distribution?” Matthew’s face was stern, his expression unreadable as he slowly spoke. “Junko, do you agree?”

“I… have no problem!” Yoshida Junko hesitated for a moment, then finally dimmed her gaze and agreed.

As a female Reincarnator with average talent, sometimes she was at a disadvantage. The Japanese girl had a tough time during her newbie stage, like a little stray dog. Now that she finally had a team, even if it was only a temporary small team formed over two worlds, she didn’t want to give up easily.

“In that case, I have no problem!” Jote snickered twice and agreed.

Not counting the Phantom Demon Pearl dropped by Gadurot, there were only two pieces of Dark Gold Equipment and three unidentified items. Since two Dark Gold pieces had already appeared, the chance of a Legendary Equipment among them was very small.

Those three unidentified items were either materials or items below Dark Gold Quality, not worth risking one’s life for. Even if Pan Hu handed over all his gains, Jote could only get one piece of Dark Gold at most. As for the quest rewards and reputation points from the Phantom Demon Pearl, the whole team would share them, so there was no need to calculate them separately.

“Have you finished discussing?” Pan Hu patiently waited a while before speaking indifferently.

“Lord Pan Hu, we have discussed it. We will stick to my proposal. Let us sign the Soul Contract!” Matthew bowed gracefully and said with a smile, “According to the Soul Contract, we guarantee that once the Phantom Demon Pearl is in our hands, we will release Lord Lou Ying. And the members of the Fūma Group in the Phantom Demon World must not retaliate against us in any form!”

…

“I look forward to your next performance!” After the transaction was completed, Pan Hu gave Matthew a meaningful glance, then carried Lou Ying on his back and quickly left.

Although Lou Ying’s face was livid, he did not threaten Matthew and the other two. Threatening them after being rescued would be like the howl of a defeated dog. He had already lost face and couldn’t sacrifice the Fūma Group’s dignity as well. Besides, he and Pan Hu still had chances for revenge later—of course, they could only rely on themselves.

“Heh heh, Blacky, should we hide and watch for a bit?” Just after leaving the Shipbuilding Room, Lou Ying suddenly dropped his ugly expression and asked cheerfully.

“Is your brain full of crap? The most important thing now is to get to the boss. Whether we watch those three fight among themselves doesn’t matter—we still have our own troubles to deal with!” Pan Hu stumbled slightly and turned around to yell angrily.

“Got it, got it! We used the Yellow Dragon Mirror and still lost a piece of Dark Gold Equipment and a large amount of quest reputation. The boss is definitely going to scold us to death this time!” Lou Ying waved his hand with a mournful face.

…

“Heh heh, Boss Matthew, we both contributed equally to tricking Lou Ying and Pan Hu this time. But there’s only one piece of Dark Gold Equipment, and everyone wants it—don’t blame me. Besides, you already got a Bloodline Item earlier, so we’re even. How about each of us giving Junko ten thousand Credit Points as compensation?”

As Lou Ying and Pan Hu left, the atmosphere in the dock square became strangely tense. Jote licked his lips and dryly laughed as he spread his hands toward Matthew and Yoshida Junko.

Although Matthew and the other two were Veterans, they were far weaker than true Class Change experts like Pan Hu. They had just passed the newbie stage and only experienced three or four Quest Worlds. Under normal circumstances, with their strength, it was very difficult for them to obtain Dark Gold Equipment. Even if they managed to get one through team effort, they would usually sell it and split the money.

In fact, their great gains in the Phantom Demon World were largely due to Matthew’s planning. Even though there was some luck involved, preparing the Phantom Demon Rumors Record in advance and setting up Lou Ying were part of their strength and the main reason why Pan Hu and Lou Ying ultimately admitted defeat.

Jote wasn’t willing to completely break with these two teammates yet, especially since they were still in a Quest World. This proposal was actually an attempt to win over the Japanese girl, hinting that Matthew had already obtained a Bloodline Item and reminding her to side with him. However, compared to the value of Dark Gold Equipment and Bloodline Items, a mere twenty thousand Credit Points was quite paltry.

Credit Points, the virtual currency used among Reincarnators, had slightly lower real value than Shattered Crystals. One hundred thousand Credit Points were roughly equivalent to seventy-five thousand Shattered Crystals. An ordinary piece of Dark Gold Equipment was worth about fifty thousand Shattered Crystals, and the Dark Gold Equipment dropped by the Phantom Demon BOSS was even more valuable, worth at least seventy-five thousand Shattered Crystals—equivalent to one hundred thousand Credit Points.

However, Jote had no choice. Reincarnators like him didn’t have much spare wealth, and ten thousand Credit Points was already his limit.

“Matthew, how dare you…” But as soon as Jote finished speaking, he found that Matthew had kicked him out of the temporary team. He was both shocked and furious.

The three of them had formed a temporary team using a temporary team contract, and most team permissions were in Matthew’s hands. Kicking someone out didn’t require discussion.

“Why wouldn’t I dare…” Matthew sneered coldly, took out a syringe from his chest, and directly injected it into his carotid artery.

“Gene Potion! You’re actually using it directly in the Quest World!” Jote’s expression changed drastically as he watched Matthew’s actions.

Even complete Bloodline Items had a chance of failure. The low-level Phantom Demon Gene Potion they obtained had a 25% failure rate—one in four. Using a Bloodline Item in a Quest World meant they couldn’t get help from the Superstring Space. If the fusion failed, there was a chance the Law Body would directly collapse. Matthew was essentially gambling with his life.

Without hesitation, Matthew pushed the syringe all the way in. Then, with a flip of his hand, he gripped a small knife and forcefully slashed his left chest, causing blood to splatter everywhere.

Jote and Yoshida Junko’s confusion didn’t last more than a few seconds. They saw Matthew take out Gadurot’s Phantom Demon Pearl, a crazed glint in his eyes, his face twisted as he forcefully pressed the Phantom Demon Pearl into the wound on his left chest, pushing it toward his heart.

“So you had planned this all along!” A look of realization dawned on Jote’s face.

Gadurot was the Phantom Demon BOSS of the Undersea Temple. Regardless of what type of Phantom Demon the Gene Potion Matthew obtained in the maze room belonged to, it was essentially from the same lineage as Gadurot. With Gadurot’s Phantom Demon Pearl, Matthew’s chances of successfully converting his bloodline would greatly increase.

Realizing this, Jote didn’t hesitate any longer and immediately turned to run toward another exit of the dock square. His strength was originally not much different from Matthew’s, and he knew he couldn’t handle Matthew after converting to a Phantom Demon bloodline. If he didn’t escape now, he would be waiting for death.

Seeing this, Matthew’s face darkened, and he turned and shouted, “Junko, just hold him for ten minutes!”