28 The Clown

'What happened!'

Jason scratched his hair as he paced about in front of the Horror Realm's spatial tunnel. The strangest outcome had just happened in the Inner Circle. The war that should have lasted much longer ended as if someone had just snapped his fingers and ordered everyone to stop fighting.

'Regardless, I can't return there yet. They should have realized my sudden disappearance, but there are other reasons why I could have left. Escaped the war, etc. It should make sense that I return after the war, but they shouldn't care about a singular cleaner such as me. I am like a worm to them.'

Jason left the tunnel area and walked down the stairs, which felt like an eternity. After finally arriving at the bottom of the stairs, he headed to the ticket receptionist to buy a one-way trip to Romance Realm. To receive the translucent ticket, one had to pay extra. However, he didn't need one in Romance Realm since there was a free entrance to Global Realm Station.

As he slowly moved towards the line, he noticed something odd. Several men who looked like they had mimicked typical bounty hunter attire watched one of the lines very keenly. It wasn't just them; many side-glances were thrown at the same spot.

Jason curiously looked over and saw a strange, tall man wearing a long black cloak with a large collar. His hair was as dark as darkness itself, and his eyes were crimson-red. His skin was very fair and pale, as if he were a porcelain doll. With only the face, one could mistake him for a beautiful girl.

He slowly curled the corners of his lips upward, showing ordinary white teeth and two blood-red fangs, which were very noticeable among the white teeth. He looked around for the prying eyes and mocked them inwardly.

'A vampire!' Jason's eyes dilated. 'Also, he has blood-stained fangs!'

The atmosphere turned tense around the ticket desks, and it alerted the nearby guards, who hadn't shown themselves yet. However, they were ready. Global Realm Station had a strict no-fighting rule, but there were exceptions. As an example, if Jason had been stomped to death by the giant, it would be classified as an accident. However, if someone started throwing punches and attacks against someone, they would interfere.

Everyone watched in silence as the vampire walked to the desk and rapped his finger against the smooth surface. The ticket receptionist didn't show any surprise or fear as she smiled professionally and asked where he wanted to go.

"Hmm..." The vampire teasingly looked around at the different images plastered on the pillar-like building as it displayed pictures and names of realms. There were thousands of them, but he soon found one and smiled. "Gothic Realm, two-way."

The ticket receptionist nodded and concluded the transaction. "Fourth Floor, thank you for visiting Global Realm Station!"

The vampire then picked up his cane and slowly headed towards the elevators. He acted like he didn't see the prying eyes, but he sensed every gaze that locked on him and smelled their bloodlust. He licked his lips and tapped the cane against the floor as he hummed softly a famous vampiric song.

Jason watched him leave and turned back to the line with a frown. 'I knew vampires were arrogant, but this is too much. He has some kind of plan. He was intentionally teasing others, showing his blood-stained fangs. He is planning to make a trap, and it seems it is working...'

The bounty hunter lookalikes bought tickets to Gothic Realm and briskly walked towards the elevators.

"They are already dead."

Jason flinched as a voice came right behind him. He half-turned and saw a man wearing a clown mask. The clown mask was white except for the black eyes, a blue tear below the left eye, and a red heart under the right eye. Also, there was the common clown smile on the mask that was quite creepy.

He was also wearing a black, baggy cloak.

The strange clown mask didn't hide his dark hair, which was either very dark brown or slightly black.

The clown-masked man turned to Jason and chuckled behind the mask. "Hihihihi, wondering what I am talking about?"

Jason slowly nodded in confirmation.

"That vampire was a noble vampire. Their desires for real blood are stronger than those of ordinary vampires, and this one seems to have very bad self-control. Therefore, he uses those blood-stained fangs to lure more victims." The clown chuckled.

"His strength must be high to be that confident." Jason said as he looked in the direction of the elevator, which the vampire took. Its walls were glass, allowing him to see inside. The vampire stood alone in the elevator as it went quickly to the fourth floor.

The bounty hunter lookalikes weren't far behind; they had already taken the elevator and were headed to the fourth floor.

"Yes... or he is simply faking strength." The clown looked around as he saw many looking in the direction of the vampire but didn't go after. "Many realized that point. The vampire wants blood, and now he has new food. They don't want to risk their lives, especially since the vampire could also be strong."

"Hmm, is there another reason?" Jason looked at the image of the gothic realm on the wall. The realm looked dark.

"Yes. The vampire chose to go to the Gothic Realm." The clown looked at the same image. "Gothic Realm is always dark. When it's dark, vampires senses and physical strength are amplified. It is simply the perfect place for vampires. He didn't go to the Vampire Realm at risk of having his food stolen, I assume."

"Is the Gothic Realm like the Horror Realm?" Jason asked.

The clown shook his head and answered. "No. There is daytime on Gothic Realm, but one would never notice it because the sunlight is always blocked."

"Blocked? How can sunlight be blocked?" Jason asked curiously.

"There is a thick fog in the sky that blankets the sky. The Gothic Realm used to be a famous realm for its coal, gold, and diamond mines. Because of those, there were many factories built. Those factories sent black smoke into the sky, and shockingly, that smoke never dissipated.

"It stayed in the sky, and when they realized it, it was too late. The sky had turned into Fog Sky. Eternal darkness fell upon the Gothic Realm, but still, the factories weren't abandoned since they already realized that whatever they did, they couldn't make it any worse."

"It can always be worse." Jason sighed and nodded at the clown. "Thank you for telling me all this. What is your name?"

The clown nudged his mask slightly and said. "You can just call me the clown. I have no other identity."

Jason raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Very well. I am Jason."

"Hihihi, well, Jason." The clown looked toward the fourth floor with a chuckle. "Want to go vampire hunting?"

"What? Didn't you just say that it might be dangerous?" Jason frowned, as he couldn't fathom what the clown was thinking.

"It can be dangerous... to someone else." The clown laughed hysterically as his shoulders shook. "Hihihi, but not for us. Let's team up and split the blood-stained fangs. I happen to need one for my experiment!"

'Experiment?' Jason felt hesitant, as he didn't really want to follow this crazy clown.

"You hesitate too much." The clown's dark eyes behind the mask glowed. "I can feel death in you. You have embraced death. You survived death. Why are you still hesitating when you have already overcome something much worse? Stop hesitating, or the one who made you suffer death will finish his job sooner or later."

"The death might come to me a decade later, a century later... foolishly dying isn't part of my dinner plan." Jason sighed as he turned back to the line, showing his back to the clown. "I already made an oath to defy death as long as I can. I won't now jump into the jaws of death just because of monetary gains."

The clown's arm suddenly wrapped around his neck, and his face, hidden behind a mask, appeared next to him and stared at him with a fierce look.

"You are afraid of death. I understand why, but if you fear death, how can you defeat the one who brought you this fear? You are only focused on increasing your strength, not overcoming your greatest fear. Even if you have reached the peak of mortal strength, when the time comes, you will lose because of your fear."

Jason's eyes widened in surprise. The clown's words echoed in his mind as if they were hammering into his skull. Before, his mind had only one goal—increasing his strength—but then a second one, overcoming his fear, appeared out of nowhere. He thought that he was right. The strange clown-masked man was right.

"You are right..." He mumbled and saw that it was now his turn at the ticket desk. He stepped forward, looked at the smiling woman, and sighed. "Gothic Realm, two-way ticket."

"Right away, sir." The ticket receptionist smiled sweetly and concluded the transaction as a translucent ticket entered Jason's body. "Fourth floor, thank you for visiting Global Realm Station!"

After paying for the ticket, he stepped out of line and saw the clown step forward and say.

"Gothic Realm, two-way ticket. Thank you very much!"

After doing the transaction, the clown hopped over to Jason and grinned behind the mask. "Are you ready? I know a little bit about Gothic Realm, so follow my lead."

Jason massaged his temples, as he didn't believe he had listened to the clown's words. This was the first time he met him, and he was now going to hunt a vampire with a stranger.

...

Workers Street, Golden Lion.

"Boss!" Russell opened the door with his messy hair swaying. He looked like a mad scientist with the hair and the glasses almost falling off his nose. He held stacks of documents as he walked over to the desk.

"What is it?" Percy uncorked a bottle of whiskey and filled two cups. He handed another one to Russell and drank the other.

"No time for drinks, I have something to show you!" Russell breathed heavily as he opened the documents and nudged his glasses with his shaky hands. "I have finished my investigation, and now I pretty much know everything that happened that day."

"Oh." Percy drank the whiskey while placing his left leg over his right and listening. He neither showed any interest nor any intention to participate in the discussions.

"The dead guards and the front desk lady had one thing in common. The knife wounds!" Russell rubbed his hands together and then showed a picture of their corpses. "Knife wounds. The same was with the two guards who guarded the vault. However, there is also a new scratch on the vault door, a slight dent that resembled a knife's edge."

Russell then showed a picture of Perseus' dead body. "Perseus also has many knife wounds. However, on his dead body, there were belt with knives wrapped around his waist. We tested the knives on the wounds, and on the dent, the knife blade matched. So, my theory is, just listen to me; it might sound crazy, but hear me out.

"My theory is that Perseus was the assailant. He threw the knives into the guards before they realized what happened, and since he was your brother, he might have also discovered the keycode to the vault, allowing him to open it.

"Then, someone discovered him leaving the vault with bags, and a fight ensued. He died, and the other person took the bags. I still haven't discovered who that person is, but I think I can do it!"

Russell wiped the drool off his lips and looked expectantly at Percy.

Percy finished the whiskey, and without saying a word, he handed a diary with a brownish cover to Russell.

"What is this?" Russell frowned.

"Read the first page." Percy chuckled.

Russell opened the page and read it inwardly. After he was done, he was stuck in his chair as he blankly looked at the page.

"B-but... my investigations..."

"Go take a vacation. You don't have to investigate anymore. I don't care who robbed us. Let's just focus on rebuilding our guild." Percy poured another cup of whiskey and drank.

Russell tugged at his hair as if he had lost his mind. "B-but... my detective work... all for nothing."

"I appreciate your work, but the war is already over." Percy leaned on the chair and relaxed. The war made him tense, as if his head was about to burst. Finally, he could truly relax.

Russell lowered his hands and made up his mind. He stood up, bowed, and said. "I appreciate everything you have done for me, Percy, but it's time for me to take another career path."

"What are you saying?" Percy's expression changed rapidly as his eyes turned into saucers.

"I realized my new passion." Russell placed the side of his fist to his chest and said. "I want to become a detective. The greatest detective in all realms!"

"B-but, you are the vice guild master." Percy said in a shock. "Why are you degrading yourself?"

"This is my passion!" Russell turned around, walked to the door, and opened it. He half turned to Percy and smiled. "Thank you. I will always remember my time at Golden Lion, but it's time for me to follow my dreams. Goodbye!"

The door closed after Russell's departure.

Percy's hand that held the glass cup shook. His jaw dropped as he looked at the door with a shocked expression.

'What the hell!'