Published at 20th of October 2026 8:56 am

Chapter 2123: Stained With Blood

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Inside the bustling Rabbit Hole, Adam and the rest sat at a table on the second floor.

The expedition to the third dungeon level had been a success. They had slain three Transcendent monsters, so naturally the party had emerged with good loot.

Even after the team leader, Stroud the Ugly, took most of the rewards—as was customary—the others were still more than satisfied with their portions.

Stroud bought them dinner and drinks that night. The team members exchanged contact information before going their separate ways.

While Stroud headed to the bar counter below to get in a word with Hannibal, Aurora and Barrett retreated to a room upstairs.

It would appear the Paladin’s perseverance had finally paid off. Barrett almost seemed happier to spend the night with Aurora than he did with his share of the loot.

Only Adam and Luca remained. The latter was already drunk from who knows how many different types of liquor.

"You..." Luca turned to Adam, slurring. "Are you really planning to work with that ignoble scum?"

"Of course, not!" Adam proudly lied. "I’ll have you know I’m a model citizen of society. I would never work with criminals."

Luca grinned. "I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t stoop so low."

Seeing that the Paladin was planning to get more drunk, Adam decided to take his leave. Things usually got quite boring without the booze. Or perhaps, that was just his inner alcoholic speaking.

Regardless. He bid farewell to his drunken friend and headed downstairs. He nonchalantly walked behind the bar counter and began helping Hannibal with wiping mugs and cleaning glasses.

"Stroud was full of praise," Hannibal said without turning toward Adam. "Said he wanted to invite you to more adventures in the dungeons."

"Sure." Adam shrugged absentmindedly.

A patron called for a cocktail. Adam smoothly prepared the drink and offered it to the man, then noted down the particulars on a tab.

Hannibal arched an eyebrow. "What’s on your mind?"

"What are your views on the Night Guild?" Adam asked, his voice soft.

Hannibal wiped the tankard with a cloth as he cast a side glance at his student.

"The Night Guild?" He gave a short grunt.

"Thieves. Smugglers. Killers. Plenty of monsters mixed in with them too. They’re dangerous. But they’re not invincible. Just very good at making people think they are."

Hannibal’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"They’ve got their tentacles in half the city’s dirty business, and more than a few of them use my tavern to get where they shouldn’t."

"And you let them?" Adam was startled.

"I don’t care what they do in the dark," Hannibal said, "so long as they don’t bring trouble into my tavern."

Adam hesitated for a few moments before eventually asking, "I know someone in Dark Port. I think they’re working with the Night Guild. They offered me missions. Lucrative ones."

Hannibal leaned against the bar and turned to his student once again. "You’re asking whether you should take their missions?"

Adam nodded.

"Well, depends on the mission," Hannibal answered.

"If they’re sending you after thugs, clearing out a monster lair, or retrieving something from the depths, that’s one thing. But if they’re asking you to rob a merchant, threaten someone, kill someone, or carry something you aren’t allowed to ask about... that’s another."

The blade master picked another tankard and began wiping it.

"Still, that doesn’t mean every job they offer is a trap. There’s a reason why they’re so reputed in the adventurers’ circle. My advice? If you take a mission from them, know exactly who you’re working for. Know what you’re being asked to do. Know what happens if you refuse."

Adam processed his teacher’s words long and hard. In the end, he nodded. "I understand."

He prepared to leave the tavern when Hannibal suddenly called out to him.

"No matter what you do, your hands will always be stained with fresh blood," he said. "Just make sure it never belongs to the innocent."

Adam’s mind immediately reeled back to the countless innocent lives lost in the Great World War of Tron. They were collateral fatalities, of course. But their deaths were on his hands.

"And if it does?" he asked with a bitter smile.

"Then carry the weight of it," Hannibal replied. "Do not seek excuses, and do not pretend their blood was never on your hands. You can only make sure it never happens again."

Seeing Adam turn silent as though reminiscing about the past, Hannibal stepped toward him and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Remember, Adam," Hannibal said.

"A good man is not one whose hands are clean. They are clean only because he has never had to make the difficult choice. A good man is one who knows what his hands are capable of becoming, and still chooses what they should protect."

***

Adam returned home afterward.

He sat on his balcony, looking at the Sea of Storms. The breeze brushed against his face, pulling his hair strands into a dance.

As the moons of Myrrandor shone upon his figure, he felt so lonely. He retreated into his sanctum of solitude, pretending he didn’t miss Genevieve, didn’t miss Valerian.

But he missed them so dearly. He yearned to be in their presence. Talk to them. Laugh with them.

Adam let out a long, weary sigh. Luca’s words echoed in his ears. If not for the Paladin, he wouldn’t have had any reservations about taking missions from a thieves’ guild. But for some reason, Luca’s words never left his mind.

Have I grown soft?

He thought, a flicker of amusement shining in his deep, tenebrous eyes.

Or is it that Luca’s strong love and fierce protectiveness for the human race rubbing off on me as well?

Humanity. The Imperium.

Compared to the wars raging in the astral sea, my problem seems so... insignificant.

He subconsciously stroked the auburn band around his ring finger, hoping that Genevieve’s voice would guide him. She always had an answer for such questions. And usually, her answers were the right ones.

What do I do?

Should I approach Esmond and Sandra again?

Should I take the mission from the Night Guild?

A week later, he had an answer.

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