Chapter 314: 314: Abyss

Han Dong was seen embracing a Fate Event BOSS and acting in complicity.

Even Mia was a bit bewildered.

Mia very well knew that Han Dong was a thorough swindler, able to interact normally with many neutral beings outside the Holy City.

But Fate Space is not outside the Holy City, and the beings inside it wouldn’t accept this kind of interaction, and even beings from outside that enter Fate Space would be torn to pieces.

Yet, Han Dong could ‘befriend’ a certain BOSS inside Fate Space.

As far as Mia could recollect from their time in the Holy City, this was unheard of.

“Mia… Deputy Commander called it [The Clown] and with just one arm it managed to devour and overtake a Strange Tale.

The danger emanating from it seemed to be on par with Huan- the Mistress you had to deal with, Mia.

If a single arm is this strong, how exactly did the Deputy Commander defeat [The Clown]? Moreover, it happened in the previous Fate Space, when Han Dong wasn’t as powerful as he is now.

Wow…. He keeps becoming more and more mysterious.”

Winry’s eyes were filled with ‘admiration’.

Mia couldn’t answer either, looking at [The Clown], she had an uncomfortable feeling.

They quickly bypassed the 13th floor office area, following which they only needed to cross a dark and gloomy passage to reach the Public Toilet at the deepest end.

The situation was the same as what they had encountered in the abandoned park.

The toilet’s lights flickered irregularly.

Sometimes laughter would emanate,

Sometimes a ripping sound would resonate.

A foul smell had already drifted throughout the passage.

The Clown, who was arm in arm with Han Dong, haltingly set his foot into the passage and suddenly stopped… Bang! The Red Balloon he was holding directly exploded.

“Emmm… are you going to use the restroom? I’ll pass.”

The Clown retraced one step, leaving the current passage.

At the same time,

The black gloves worn on Winry’s hands also disintegrated on their own, resulting in the form of Duo Zeya.

Caw, caw, caw~

Duo Zeya continued cawing and flapping his wings, refusing to go near the public restroom… his black eyes were filled with fear.

“It’s understandable coming from Duo Zeya… but Clown, you too are acting cowardly?”

The clown conveyed helplessness, “Oh no… I only have one hand, and, moreover, this body is not much use.

Our first collaboration, I thought, would deal with something easier…who knew that you bring out such a difficult problem at the get-go, it’s suicidal.”

“How about this? If the creature inside the restroom dies, I’ll hand its body over to you…the premise being, you give it your all.”

Han Dong’s words put [The Clown] into a thoughtful silence.

After a while, it appeared a bit hesitant and nodded.

“Alright… But judging from the danger I perceive, I doubt we’d stand a chance even if all of us fight together.”

“Don’t bother with such things. Clown, just focus on working hard.”

This time, Han Dong was the one to embrace [The Clown], pushing him to continue towards the public restroom.

Meanwhile,

Han Dong turned his head and glared menacingly at Duo Zeya.

It was as if he was trying to convey the message that if Duo Zeya refused to help, once they were back, he’d have him roasted for dinner.

The scared Duo Zeya promptly turned back into Winry’s gloves.

“This feeling, it’s really uncomfortable…”

It was not just [The Clown].

As Han Dong approached the restroom, an indescribable sense of danger filled him, it was as if he was on the brink of stepping into a gaping maw.

Peeking through a fissure, he could see a small part of the interior of the restroom, a sight of walls covered in gory red tendrils.

The stiffening smell and intense sensation of pressure forced Han Dong to switch into the Bird Beak Doctor costume.

Step!

The moment he set foot on the wash basin area of the toilet, he felt as if he was stepping on something viscous.

The restroom’s various areas were covered densely in red tendrils, reminiscent of the insides of a creature.

[The Clown] concurrently chewed multiple chewing gums and spat out numerous Smiling Balloons.

These Smiling Balloons drifted first into the restroom to scout for information.

The balloons didn’t return with an explosion, indicating they moved about without any resistance… yet [The Clown] frowned, as if it observed something unexpected.

“What’s the situation?”

[The Clown] remained silent for a moment, then asked, “What level of difficulty is the Fate Event you’ve chosen this time?”

[The Clown] had killed numerous encroaching Knight Squads in Derry Town, thus he was well aware of the rules pertaining to Fate Space.

“A star higher than your time.”

“Full five stars, I see… I am not sure about the precise situation either, better for you all to directly go in and check for yourselves.

All I can say is that there is no immediate danger inside, our target has already [gone down].”

Han Dong promptly grabbed hold of [The Clown], making him lead the way.

Upon officially stepping inside the toilet from the wash basin area, Han Dong and his team were stupefied…

At that moment, they understood the true meaning of ‘Abyssal Public Toilet’.

The restroom as per their expectations had completely transformed.

Han Dong and his team were standing at the entrance to a gory red abyss.

They could descend downward by using stairs made from tendrils… Looking down, they were unable to see the bottom of the abyss.

Simultaneously,

A familiar old woman’s voice echoed in Han Dong’s mind:

‘Strange Tale: Abyssal Public Toilet’

The origins of this tale have several versions, some say it’s from recent times whereas others trace back to the Edo period.

Until now, I also didn’t acquire a verifiable version…

So the true origin can only be acquired from the Strange Tale itself.

[Strange Tale Level]: S-

[Method of Triggering]: Clue-seeking, Direct Triggering

[Requirements]: Within 24 hours, go to the bottommost part of the abyss, find and kill the ‘Abyss Butcher’.

[Rank]: This Strange Tale is listed on the ‘Paradise S-Level Strange Tales leaderboard’, ranking at the 10th position, portray extreme caution while dealing with it.

[Rewards]:

Large Number of Strange Tales points

A probability of acquiring Special Fate Equipment or material from ‘The Abyss Butcher’.

Increase the probability of obtaining a ‘Fate Card’

[Reminder]: Once you deal with an S-level Strange Tale, you will be a wanted target in Paradise! Strange Tales on the streets will have a greater desire to attack you, they may even actively seek you out.

“Ranked 10th in the S-level Strange Tale rankings?! Once we kill this Abyss Butcher, we might get hold of his equipment… and also, we would get put on a wanted list.”

Han Dong stared at the gory red bottomless abyss under his feet and took a deep breath.

“Let’s go.”

Scouting was done through [The Clown]’s Smiling Balloons.

The team, holding hands, descended down the stairs made of tendrils… As they went down, the surroundings expanded, seeming to be similar to a conical structure.

“Watch out!!”

Abe was the first one to sense an abnormality.

Instantly, he let go of the hand he was holding and dodged.

A high-speed rotating saw blade emerged from the wall.

Immediately after,

A humanoid life-form wearing a pig head mask and made from tendrils stepped out from the tear in the wall…