3 Chapter 3: Steam and Magic

The neighbor appeared to be a human.

She wore a gas mask adorned with a brass skull ornament and a tattered hemp cloak that hid most of her body, her face indistinct.

When she first rushed out, her eyes were as cold as knives.

However, the moment she caught sight of the open door behind Leonard Churchill from the corner of her eye, the murderous intent in her eyes instantly faded, and she blurted out in surprise, "You haven't died yet?"

...

Her voice was deliberately kept low, but it was clear that she was young.

She probably recognized him, which was why she didn't attack.

"???"

Listening to her, Leonard Churchill muttered silently in his mind.

He had indeed died once already.

But, this woman seemed to know him?

Just having crossed from another world, Leonard was at a loss for what to say. His instincts told him it was better to stay silent for now.

In the blink of an eye during this confrontation, the mechanical arm girl seemed to think of something. She took the initiative to lower her steam cannon barrel, making a friendly gesture.

Seeing the empty pockets of Churchill's clothes, she seemed to have guessed something. Even more puzzled, she muttered again, "You spent a night with the 'Fallen Witch' and you're still alive?"

"..."

Churchill remained silent, also lowering his gun.

She had mentioned the 'Fallen Witch' in the room. It was clear that she had a lot of information.

The enigmatic woman, seeing Leonard Churchill remaining silent, hesitated for a moment. As though having come to some decision, she decided to get straight to the point, "Are you a solo hunter or do you have a team? In other words, are you interested in teaming up?"

She was straight to the point.

Speaking, she was afraid the man in front of her might not have understood his current situation. So, to clarify, she added, "Otherwise, given your condition, when the Fallen Witch comes knocking tonight, you probably won't live to see tomorrow."

"What...?"

Listening, Leonard Churchill quickly analyzed the information in her words.

The woman's words seemed distant, probably having just met but certainly not knowing Leonard's previous self.

This saved him a lot of trouble.

But what did she mean by not living until tomorrow?

Where did that come from?

She obviously had a lot of information that he urgently needed.

Hiding his emotions, Leonard tentatively wondered aloud, "Team up?"

"Hmm."

The mysterious woman, seeing that he hadn't outright declined, revealed straight up, "I'm interested in the materials produced by that 'Fallen Witch'. If you're willing to cooperate, we can hunt down this B-ranked contaminant tonight. While I can't guarantee success, I'll do everything in my power to kill it. Only by killing the monster can you possibly survive and leave this space."

She paused for a moment and then added, "Of course, I'll do my best to keep you safe."

"..."

Listening, Leonard realized she meant to kill the monster for the materials.

It seemed this Alternate Dimension was akin to some kind of copy of a game.

He wanted to ask more, but knowing so little about this world, he didn't know where to start.

The girl with the mechanical arm obviously had a clear line of thought.

She accurately picked up on Churchill's moment of hesitation and thought he didn't believe her. She used a strange tone, "I don't know how you survived last night, but you don't think the 'Fallen Witch' is just going to let you go, do you?"

"..."

Churchill still didn't respond, but he was thinking back to the naked corpse lying in the room.

Just approaching it would lead to radiation contamination, an unsolvable problem for him.

However, he couldn't necessarily believe everything this woman was saying.

Churchill lapsed into a moment of thought.

...

Was this even a decision?

If an ordinary person was targeted by a B-ranked Catastrophe, wouldn't they be quick to accept the offer of help?

Seeing his hesitation, the mechanical arm girl supplemented her own situation. Could it be that he didn't have a clear understanding of the terror of the 'Fallen Witch'?

She seemed to have thought of something, asked with a surprised look, "Did you not buy any information and just enter directly?"

That stare, it was as if she was looking at a fool who was recklessly courting death.

"..."

Leonard Churchill was racking his brains for a way to gather information. Seeing her reaction, he simply took it as his cue.

He followed up, "Are you saying... the Falllen Witch Sect will come after me again?"

Upon hearing this, the mysterious woman behind the mask made an expression as if she has expected this all along.

After pausing for a moment, she explained, "You should then have seen the Enlightenment. It is a Category B Catastrophe of Spirit class. It can lock onto human spirits. You have spent a night with it, and no matter where you hide in this space, it can find you."

"..."

Hearing that, Leonard's eyebrows twitched slightly.

So, the Enlightenment was not only visible to him, but it was a rule of this world.

He finally understood it now; he had been "marked" by a monster.

More importantly, he realized why the woman wanted to cooperate. It wasn't that she valued his combat power, but she wanted to use the monster's marking characteristic. She needed a "bait."

But after hearing her explanation, Leonard dismissed all of his concerns.

After all, they were strangers. No one would help you for no reason. Even if she intended to use him, he didn't take it to heart at all.

A cooperative relationship based on value exchange would be sturdier.

He pondered for a moment, then asked the question that he was most curious about, "Could we kill it now? I mean..."

He was going to suggest that the monster seemed harmless while it is dormant, so it should be easy to kill.

But his words were abruptly dismissed.

The woman with a mechanical arm looked at him with eyes that clearly said, "This guy knows nothing," and vetoed him, "If Category B Catastrophe could be handled this easily, not so many people would have died in this Alternate Dimension. Even if you can destroy its body, no matter how you try to kill it, it would still revive completely unscathed by nightfall. Many have tried this before. Moreover... anyone who gets close to its body will be left with a 'mark of hatred'. Once the night falls, those marked would surely die."

Oh.

This plan wouldn't work after all.

He was just asking anyway.

Leonard quirked a questioning eyebrow. "Are you sure it's certain death?"

"Yes!"

The girl with the mechanical arm was firm in her tone, "As far as I know, there are no exceptions."

"If you don't believe it, you can try shooting at it a couple times. You're already marked, anyway."

Then she took another look at Leonard, evidently bewildered as to why he was still alive, and asked another question, "I'm very curious, how did you survive last night?"

"..."

Leonard didn't plan on explaining that he had already died, nor could he even begin to explain why he was still alive.

But given their current situation, he really had no choice.

Though he didn't completely trust what she said, he did confirm a few things.

Firstly, the monster inside was indeed very tricky, at least he can't handle it alone.

Secondly, she was heavily armed, if she wanted to kill him, she wouldn't need to talk so much. Could she just tie him up as bait as well? Or, did she need his cooperation to use him as bait?

Regardless, at least until they took down the Fallen Witch Sect, he still had value.

As long as he's valuable, there won't be a danger for now

....

Leonard had no knowledge of this world, and he needed a source of information.

He didn't hesitate and bluntly said, "I agree to cooperate."

Speaking of which, he added: "But before that, can we share some information? I mean, about this space. "

"Sure!"

The girl with the mechanical arm seemed relieved when she heard this.

She was worried that she would have to deal with a fool who didn't understand the situation.

With bait, it would be much easier for her to hunt down the catastrophe.

Then she pointed to Room 2013 that she had just come out of, and said, "But there are still twelve hours until it gets dark, and I have some preparations to make. You can stay inside the room if you want to survive until evening. Or if you're not afraid of encountering monsters, you can come with me. But I can't guarantee your safety..."

Leonard decisively said, "I'll go with you."

Obviously, going with her would be safer.