The Degree
The Observers

Renting a member slot is a disadvantage depending on how long the deadline of each payout is and depends on the price as well. It doesn't matter if it's expensive enough during the deadline.

“I've checked the additional features Secret provides. Broadly speaking there is a way to issue members as I like.”

Arthur does not need to worry if he will indirectly strengthen Indri by adding his group and even give it a fee. It's just that there is no guarantee Indri will keep every word.

“It's really hard to do such a deal in this place. There is a chance that you will ignore those who need further treatment, there is also a chance that you use them for personal gain and make them do bad things. In fact, there is a chance that you simply abandoned them.”

Arthur could name more possibilities if he wanted to. In short, no one can give a guarantee. Oral in the end hannyalah oral, very likely to be forgotten and Arthur will not be able to use it as an appeal in another sense.

Indri snorted and smiled small, “You were right, that's a reasonable thought to have. Even I wouldn't do a deal in a place like this. It's just ..”

Indri's gaze shifted towards his colleague, Guren. Someone with a degree is strangely a liar.

“You know that Guren always says the opposite things because of the shortcomings of his Degree. He kept the words because he did not know whether each sentence would have an effect or not. Vigilance is preferred because there are no clear rules to know whether the Degree is always active or can be controlled.”

Just as Arthur couldn't use his Degree as he wished, Guren also had the same difficulty. Maybe everyone else is experiencing it too.

Arthur began to understand Indri's purpose, although there are things he wants to ask about Degree Guren but at this time he is not in a position to ask for more.

“I understand, then you can do it.”

Arthur did not expect that there would come a time when he would trust the words of the liar more. The degree really changes things.

“Fu fu, I feel weird. Where the words of Guren who is a liar can be more trusted than my own words.” Indri laughed amusedly, thinking the same thing as Arthur.

Guren laughed a little and said, “Well, I can't be honest about anything. As for miss, she is a big liar. He always fails to keep his promises and words. Besides the lady may not care about her credibility.”

Guren's words are enough for Arthur, it is necessary to doubt his validity but for now there is no choice that can be taken.

“Good. Then how much do we need to pay?” arthur asked, not intending to make this negotiation slow.

“True too, how about fifty thousand per fifty seats and payment is made every seven days?”

Mona wants to curse angrily at Indri. How not? The price offered is clearly excessive.

“You—”

“Stop that, Mona,” Arthur said while holding him back. “We are negotiating, and there must be a bargain.”

It makes sense that Indri will set a high price at the beginning for his own benefit. Perhaps this was one way for him to reduce the development of the group power that Arthur would build.

‘Accommodating the injured is a troublesome task, but the strength of the group I will have will be huge.’

Almost everyone in this place hates him for the tragedy Ray designed. So what Arthur needs is to build his own colleagues.

“At least I'm grateful that your brain isn't as big as a bean seed like that woman, Arthur.”

Indri's words provoke Mona's anger but Arthur stops her again. Until finally Mira gives her hand to replace Arthur take care of Mona.

“Fifty thousand for one week, that's beyond what we could stand for. 25,000 DP for fifty seats, payment every one week.”

“Fatty five thousand.”

“I offer a fixed price which is 25.000.”

“Dan, I object to that. What about forty thousand?”

“It's still too big for me.”

“You're pretty stubborn. Aren't you worried that I'll leave this negotiation?”

“Then you will let go of the opportunity to weaken my group even a little.”

“... .”

That's the little thought that Indri had in mind. Shoot two birds with one stone. He tried to reap the benefits while not allowing Arthur's group to grow stronger in the early stages.

“You are indeed the main character. All right, I agree with that price.”

“Negotiation complete. In that case, I want you to wait for some time because there is necessary preparation.” Arthur began to step away to the people he was trying to save at this moment.

Indri is not a problem with waiting a few minutes maybe even hours. After all he would already receive a huge profit from this.

“Use all the time you have,” said Indri, his gaze glancing the other way.

“Although so I was surprised he did not try to stop it,” muttered Indri.

The person he was referring to was Ray, the man who cornered Arthur. Indri initially believes that Ray will appear sooner or later to disrupt the course of negotiations, maybe even he will do things that make Arthur more difficult in the future.

But in fact, Ray never came to show the trunk of his nose. Indri does not think he is the type of person who will be afraid to accept blasphemy.

‘Surely there is something ..’

When he finally noticed, Ray was clearly talking to someone. Indri did not know who it was but it seems they also had an important discussion.

I don't know who that person is yet he seems to be quite wary of Ray. In fact, Ray didn't let his colleagues intervene in the conversation.

‘Did he try to build another relationship? No. gabe. Ray is not the kind of person who will put down trust easily. Even though I have helped him a lot, he is still not one hundred percent sure of me.’

Indri sure knows quite a lot about Ray because he observes the man a lot. He is not the type of person who will want to complicate himself by building cooperation with people he does not know at all.

Even so Indri is increasingly curious about what Ray actually does.

‘I want to go there as soon as possible but that's not possible. If I disappear and are known to meet with Ray, then Arthur is fully suspicious.’

Arthur was also not a person he could easily deceive. The man might be as dangerous as Ray, maybe even more troublesome. Because it is also the reason Indri does not want to make Arthur's development faster than this.

This one bastard is very fast in the business of rising from the slump. Maybe the degree factor really has an important role.

“I hope he will give me the details later.”

...****************...

“Yo, this is the first time we met like this, Ray Morgan.”

Ray looked at the man vigilantly. His appearance was so sudden and at a completely inopportune time.

Surely so because in the distance he saw Arthur facing each other with Indri. The situation is still vague but a little Ray understands.

‘It is likely that Arthur is embracing the wounded to build his own strength. I don't know what Indri's goal is but there's no way that person would want to help him, right?’

Ray wanted to think about it deeply, if possible he wanted to intervene in their conversation.

However, the appearance of the person in front of him right now might be more urgent. He had asked Erina to keep Terumi and the others away. Not to forget Ray asked them to remain alert to all possibilities.

The man made the same smile, “Unfortunately it can't. If I do then Arthur will be further cornered.”

Ray was a little surprised by it. Indirectly the man shows that he supports Arthur.

“I don't understand what you mean.”

“I'm not stupid. Even I knew that Indri would approach Arthur to weaken him slowly. He is enough, if you give intervention then everything will be boring.”

Ray was once again attracted by this man's words. His position is now unclear.

“What does it mean that you don't want your partner getting into trouble?” ask Ray who has lost his smile.

“Mechan? I don't consider him a partner in any aspect. In this place I will take the position of being an observer while keeping my keys safe. Surely all will depend on the situation.”

If the situation becomes very chaotic and bad, he indirectly conveys that he will take sides later. Ray had no idea what kind of situation he was referring to but this person was worth watching out for.

“That means you're not interested in winning the final task?” ask Ray.

“What's the use?” The man asked back. “Secret does not give responsibility for everyone to try to solve it. Even I have survived by passing through the days as an observer. Both Open World and Asgardian are completed faster than they should be.”

‘Omong empty what did he say?’ thought Ray.

There were some things that clearly bothered him. The words of this person were increasingly mysterious in his ears.

“You talk as if knowing the intricacies of a task that only Secret.” should know

As if he had been waiting for the question, he smiled happily.

“Of course. That's because I'm so special.”

Ray will ignore the words because it is likely to lead his mind astray. But the other words made Ray have to make another consideration.

“Have you read it? The little book I gave you.”

There was only one person in this place who knew of the existence of the book. A book that only Ray might have. The one who knew it was Ray, and the one who gave it.

In the end, Ray understood who the man in front of him was. From the beginning, he probably had planned to reveal his identity.

“So so. Only the person who gave this to me knows. Didn't think you'd show up without that shitty mask again, Ryouma Hisatsu.”

The man with long, tied hair, a gentle face with sharp eyes was quite sinister. In addition, he used red powder-like embellishments in his eye bags.

“How?” ask Ryouma. “Are you surprised to see my face?”

Ray just closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, “It's normal. I'm more surprised you shared that information with me. Well, although I doubt the truth of the information.”

Ryouma laughed happily even though there was nothing funny. His laughter was loud enough that Leo, Terumi and Eric were curious about what they were talking about. From the outside the two looked close but they clearly did not know what was really going on.

Whether intentionally or not, Ray suspects that Ryouma is deliberately acting like this. The goal might make Ray difficult to reason with his partner.

“Sorry-sorry. Well, I didn't expect that you were so careful. If I give it to a stupid ape, they will definitely believe it for free,” Ryouma said as he wiped his tears.

“So it's true that this is just a trick, yes.” Ray draws the conclusion but Ryouma is also at odds.

“No. It's all true. Purely one hundred percent of the observations I have made. Why do you think I wrote your name too? That's proof that my observations are not lies.”

Ray had not read it thoroughly but he had seen the description of it in the book. Although there are some strange things according to him but the observation is quite close to his Degree.

Surely if Ryouma did not add a luck factor to his observation then perhaps he had already come to an answer. In addition, what makes the data in the book quite convincing is the Arthur and Erina Degree which is in fact right on target.

“There is no guarantee that the contents are all true. Unfortunately I refuse to believe what I don't want to believe.”

Ray did not want to trust the contents of the book completely because he did not know how big the impact in the future. There is a possibility of false information that will be misleading later.

“You are a calculated person. Well, that's why I like you, Ray. Therefore, you won't let me bother Arthur now.”

Ray slightly furrowed his brows, “You were interested in me but came to help him? Too obvious contradiction, Ryouma.”

Ryouma just smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders, “You know how else, right? If that person was destroyed now then his pleasure would be gone. I'm sure you agree about this.”

“I don't know what you mean,” said Ray, increasingly wary of Ryouma even though vaguely.

“Yes, later you will understand yourself,” Ryouma refused to give an explanation until he squinted his eyes. “Omong by the way do you know that Secret has accomplices among Degree users?”

Ray was silent for some time, he was certainly not surprised because of the sudden change in topic, but he was surprised by the topic raised by Ryouma.

“Hands, huh? I once thought that it might just be.”

“Where does that possibility come from?” asked Ryouma who was clearly interested.

Ray is honestly reluctant to share any information even if it is just mere speculation, but for some reason is quite interesting brainstorming with Ryouma.

“I remember that among the first generation there were defective traders, it is said that they were failed attempts because they tried to receive Serum D twice. Some have skin defects, are paralyzed, and the worst is burst.”

It was a close memory but it felt so far away, Ray had also slightly forgotten. Maybe he heard it from Erina or Mein in the past.

Ryouma for some things smiled with a mysterious little, “As expected of you. In fact, there are people who have two degrees. And, those are the accomplices of Secret.”

Ray needs to question the truth but before the question arrives, Ryouma walks away while delivering his sentence.

“Those people are neither friends nor opponents. They are observers. These observers could be your friends, and could also be your enemies. Observers are always close to unique people. You're no exception, Ray Morgan.”

“You said it as if you knew him well, yes.”

“As I said. The observer is always near you. He dived well, hiding his crazy and wild personality. Not only you, there are so many eyes that are deceived by it. Well, I'm talking too much. When the time comes, I'll see you back. Either as a friend or an opponent.”

Ray just stared at Ryouma back that was getting further and further away. His words invite a mystery that initially Ray is not interested in keeping it in mind.

“While I doubt but his words cannot be ignored. If this observer is close to me then ..”

There are only a few people who are always with Ray. Surely Indri and his group have a low possibility considering they m

most take the movement independently.

“That means there's one observer among my group. Besides.” Ray recalled Ryouma last words earlier.

‘Entah as friend or foe.’

There is only one meaning that can be inferred from a sentence. As expected, one of the observers deliberately revealed its existence.

“Friend or foe, huh? So you're one of them, Ryouma. Now I understand what you mean. This last task is much more thrilling than ever.”