Chapter 149: Is This… Also Part of the Performance?

But it wasn’t over yet. The man flung both legs forward, and the woman who was gripping his ankles let go at just the right moment.

Spinning several times in the air, she firmly hooked her feet onto the ring above, standing upside-down atop the ceiling as if gravity no longer applied to her.

Crash!!

In an instant, thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue, and even Holly found herself unconsciously clapping her hands!

There was no denying it—the performance of these two people was truly breathtaking.

They continually tested the edge of death; just one misstep would mean a dire accident awaited them.

And this constant dance on the brink seemed to be relentlessly teasing at the hearts of the audience.

Some… even started to harbor dark thoughts within.

What if… what if they made a mistake during the show…

They imagined the coming scene, yet their eyes remained glued to the acrobats soaring overhead, never blinking, their hands ceaselessly applauding.

Perhaps everyone has a side that longs for death. This isn’t simple curiosity for the unknown or a pursuit of thrills… but rather the inevitability of every living being.

It is a primal urge born after suffering setbacks and tribulations—a desire to return to the inanimate.

Yet, this instinct is suppressed by the force known as “rationality.”

But… that’s only when facing oneself.

When facing others… it’s a different story altogether!

It becomes a way to vent their desires!

At last, someone in the seats seemed unable to resist this urge and temptation.

He stood up… pulled several copper coins from his pocket, and hurled them upward at the acrobats!

Such behavior posed a direct threat to the performers’ safety and should have been stopped immediately…

But…

No one did. On the contrary, even more people reached into their pockets for coins and began throwing them upward!

Even… the band of thieves sitting four rows ahead were swayed by their own desires, and started flinging coins toward the performers above.

“Huff… huff…”

Holly struggled to breathe, her chest heaving. Almost reflexively, she reached into her own pocket.

As if wanting to imitate the others, she considered throwing a coin to knock the performer from above… and see what kind of scene would play out if they fell from a height of five or six meters.

Thunk! But in the next instant, a coin falling from above struck Holly directly on the forehead!

The chill of the metal and a twinge of pain made her whole body shudder in surprise!

Huh?! What… was she just about to do?!

She instinctively turned to check on her companions.

Arthur was still looking dazed as ever, while Reliel was frowning, seemingly deep in thought.

But what surprised her most was Veil.

Veil sat at ease in her seat, calmly eating an apple, as if nothing unusual was happening around her.

She hadn’t been affected at all… Compared to them, Holly felt woefully lacking…

If that coin hadn’t hit her by chance, would she have acted like everyone else, unleashing the darkness inside her?

How embarrassing…

She subconsciously took the coin from her forehead—cold to the touch… but when she looked closer…

She noticed the pattern was a bit odd.

On it… instead of twin swords flanking the Royal Emblem, there was… a round, apple-shaped design.

Huh? What kind of coin is this?

In Miss Village Girl’s understanding, there seemed to be only one human nation in this world, the Kingdom.

And the currency, too, was only issued in the standard design by the Kingdom.

“Um… Sister Reliel, look at this coin…” Holly knew well her knowledge of the world was limited.

So she handed the coin to Reliel, who was still lost in thought.

Hm?

The young woman accepted the copper coin, and her gaze fell on the imprint.

This is… an apple?

This isn’t the Kingdom’s standard currency… and the apple symbol… why does it look so familiar?

After pondering for a few seconds, Reliel realized where that sense of familiarity came from!

The Golden Apple Adventurer Party! The very same symbol used by the first King, Gilgamesh, and his companions… It was a symbol and common emblem of the Mercenary Guild!

But why would this symbol…

Wait… Suddenly, fragments of vague memories flashed through Reliel’s mind.

Back when she was a child, the Divine Kin in East County had once stirred up a massive commotion.

At that time, the Mercenary Guild Chairman summoned the leaders of all major mercenary parties in East County to discuss suppression…

On that occasion, she and Beina had followed their father.

It was then, in the Adventurers Guild Chairman’s office, that she saw a coin with an apple emblem.

But that one was a gold coin, framed and displayed on the wall.

Back then, her father was there strictly on business and never asked about the wall decoration.

So all she knew was what she saw.

Could it be… an Honorary Gold Coin from the Adventurers Guild?

No, no… so many commoners are using them; could they all be Honorary Adventurers?

Connecting it to the first king’s Golden Apple Adventurer Party, Reliel speculated… Perhaps these were the very first standardized coins minted when the Kingdom was founded!

And with that realization…

Reliel looked around at the crowd, still tossing coins upward, trying to knock the two performers from above.

These people wore clothing out of place with the current era, and used coins that didn’t belong to these times…

Could it be that these people… are Undead from the founding days of the Kingdom?!

“Ah!!”

Before Reliel could think any further, the woman among the acrobats let out a shrill, piercing scream!

It seemed her wrist had been struck, and, losing her balance, she plummeted from the air!

Whoosh… Thud!!

The masked woman fell headfirst from above!

Crack! There was a sound… Her neck twisted to a ninety-degree angle, her body shuddered briefly, then fell still.

Crash!!

For a moment, the place fell silent. Then, as if by tacit agreement, everyone broke into enthusiastic applause!

It was as if they’d done something tremendously satisfying, or as if they bore a personal grudge against the woman on the ground, clapping and cheering incessantly.

Crrk…

But… right at that moment, the supposedly dead woman’s arm jerked.

Crack, crack, crack… Her arm started to twist backward, her entire body trembling uncontrollably on the ground!

In no time, the mask on her face began to sink in, merging with her flesh and blood…

A sharp beak sprouted from her mouth… The purple-black feathers lining the edges of her mask began to spread over her face… and soon, over her entire body!

In almost the blink of an eye, the woman transformed into a creature covered in purple-black feathers!

She slowly rose from the ground.

Now… she no longer looked human at all.

She was more like a massive, vaguely human Crowman.

“Ka-ka-ka…”

The crow that had risen made odd noises from its throat, as if something was stuck inside.

Yet… what was truly surprising was that this terrifying transformation did not cause panic among the crowd.

On the contrary, their applause only grew more frenzied!

It was as if the act of dying, resurrecting, and becoming a giant Crowman… was just part of the performance.