The green-haired girl clearly hadn't expected Steven to do something like this right in front of her.
But, she didn't try to stop him.
Instead, she simply stood there, quietly watching alongside him as Gladiia turned the cloaked man into a pile of shredded flesh.
"You didn't have to do that."
Her voice was calm, without judgment.
"This won't earn you Rhodes Island's favor. Killing isn't the only way to solve problems. He still had value left to be used—yet you chose to waste it."
Steven wasn't sure if she was criticizing him or just making an observation.
Either way, he didn't really care.
"Oh, I think he still has value."
Steven glanced down at what was left of the cloaked man.
Then, as if worried the guy might somehow revive, he took a moment to think it over and casually pulled out a flint and steel.
Just in case.
With a sharp click, a one-meter-tall flame roared to life, engulfing the pile of flesh.
A second later, the scent of grilled fish filled the air.
<+>
Gladiia, now calm again, returned to Steven's side.
She quietly grabbed the edge of his cloak, holding onto it like a child.
Her curious gaze locked onto the green-haired, cat-eared girl standing before them.
Looking at her now, it was hard to believe she was the same person who had just ripped apart the cloaked man like a living meat grinder.
Maybe she had already forgotten what she had done.
"Now that the matter of that Church of the Deep follower is settled—"
Kal'tsit turned her sharp gaze toward Steven.
"It's time we talk about the one standing beside you. She isn't supposed to be like this."
She had come for Gladiia, not for Steven.
By all rights, the one negotiating with her right now should have been the girl herself.
But things had already deviated from her expectations.
Now, all she could do was try to make sense of the mysterious young man standing before her.
And from what she had seen so far, he was far more unpredictable than anyone she had ever met.
Kal'tsit prided herself on her knowledge and experience.
She had encountered all sorts of strange people in her life.
But someone like Steven, this "carefree" kind of person?
This was a first.
There was no attachment in his eyes, not to this world, and not even to Gladiia, the girl he had just protected.
To him, she was just something he had taken responsibility for.
There might be some feelings involved, but it wasn't deep.
The girl's golden pupils flickered.
A person like this…
Could such a detached existence truly emerge from this cursed land?
Steven, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You know her?"
He tilted his head toward Gladiia.
If this girl really knew her, maybe she could help recover her lost memories.
But Kal'tsit shook her head.
"I have no direct connection to her."
Her voice remained cold, distant.
"But I know of her. And I know the tragedy of her wretched race."
Her gaze darkened.
"I never thought the suffering of her kin would repeat itself—on her."
Compared to the unfathomable Steven,
Gladiia's condition was far easier for Kal'tsit to understand.
Her years of medical experience told her that this Abyssal Hunter had likely suffered serious damage to her brain and memory, reducing her to this childlike state.
A condition eerily similar to another Abyssal Hunter, one who was still lying in the Rhodes Island medical ward at this very moment.
The only real difference was that the other girl clearly hadn't been as lucky as Gladiia—
She didn't have a strong guardian like Steven protecting her.
"Okay, hold up—can you talk like a normal person?"
Steven's grin dropped.
"I mean, I get what you're saying, but why does it sound like I'm doing a freaking reading comprehension test?"
He was a talkative guy, but this kind of conversation?
Not his thing.
Kal'tsit cast him a sidelong glance.
"My way of speaking is perfectly fine. You understand me, don't you? That means our conversation isn't hindered."
"Just as I cannot interfere with your choices, you cannot interfere with my freedom of speech."
Damn.
Steven sucked in a sharp breath.
She got him.
This wasn't just some random know-it-all—
This girl knew how to play the game.
Her verbal skills might even be on par with his own.
Steven's lips curled into a small, intrigued smirk.
"Alright. But this really isn't the best place for a chat, is it?"
"How about we go somewhere else, get some beer, and talk things through properly?"
A proper battle of wits—
That sounded fun.
Kal'tsit thought for a moment before giving a small nod.
She agreed.
But then, she immediately added something else.
"I accept your proposal. But before that, we must erase this vile breeding ground.
The filth that has parasitized this land must not be allowed to spread."
Steven rubbed his temples.
"So… basically, you mean we need to destroy the evidence?"
He had finally found the flaw in his Language Localization Mod.
It could probably decode the whispers of eldritch abominations, but when it came to riddle-spewing, cryptic weirdos like her?
Useless.
Might as well not translate at all.
Just as Steven was wondering whether she expected him to do the job, something slithered out from behind her.
A serpentine creature, its body composed of crystalline mineral-like segments, emerged from the shadows.
It floated in midair, completely ignoring the pull of gravity.
Its form and movement reminded Steven of a Pokémon from his past life—
Steelix.
Except this thing had sharp, blade-like limbs, making it look even deadlier.
If he had to describe it in one word—
Freaking badass.
"Mon3tr. Clean up the scene."
Kal'tsit finally spoke a short and simple command.
A second later, the floating crystal beast opened its jaws, unleashing a torrent of flames.
The dilapidated church was instantly engulfed, consumed by the fire.
Steven followed the girl as she walked away, but his eyes never left Mon3tr. still spewing fire, still hovering in midair, looking like the coolest thing he had ever seen.
After a long moment of hesitation, Steven finally asked the most important question on his mind:
"—That thing's sick as hell. Can I buy it off you?"