Irvin didn't speak or beg because he knew it would make Arthur angry. But he couldn't take it anymore.
The physical torture hadn't started yet, but his mind was already being tortured. He wanted it to end as soon as possible. Even death doesn't sound so bad right now.
Arthur looked at him in surprise and asked, "Why are you crying? This is a great opportunity for the two of us to learn. I will learn more techniques, and you will learn how far you can go before you can break."
"Because you will break. That much is certain. Only the time you will break is the variable factor here."
Irvin wept more. Tears streamed down his eyes freely, and mucus began to pour out of his nose.
He didn't want to be tortured, so he began talking. "My money is a house on the fifth street. I put it in a crack in a wall."
Arthur's face was gloomy as Irvin spoke. But Irvin didn't stop talking. He said everything he had to say regardless of how angry Arthur got.
When he stopped talking, Arthur snorted and said, "Forget it. It seems you want to be cooperative to the end. If your stash is good enough, I will give you a good death."
Irvin, with a snort and mucus on his face, said, "Thank you, sir."
Arthur smiled and said, "Don't thank me. It is the least I can do for you."
Their position had switched. Irvin became the one trying to give Arthur his wealth. It stopped being Arthur who wanted to rob him.
Irvin also became the one begging for death. Arthur stopped being the wicked person who cornered a helpless man. Instead, he became a saint that would grant easy death.
He thought to himself smugly, "I'm just that good."
This kind of skill didn't happen suddenly. He has had a lot of experience torturing people in this life and his past one.
In his past life, he didn't have any hands-on experience. But he has witnessed the torture and punishment of certain traitorous people who sold out company secrets.
He had watched a couple of times back then, but it was only until recently that he began to put what he saw into action.
Even then, it wasn't easy. He didn't lie to Irvin about that. He had to do a lot of trial and error.
He also still doesn't know exactly what all his tools are used for. But he knows that sometimes, the threat of torture can be as good as torture itself. All he needs to do is help his victim paint a vivid picture of what will happen to them.
Once their imagination helps them realize the enormity of what they are walking into if they continue to resist, smart people, especially people like Irvin, will cave in quickly.
Irvin told him where his stashes were. Arthur didn't believe him just because he appeared to be sincere. He took Irvin to all those places to confirm if there was money there or traps.
He was right to be cautious because Irvin actually gave him the location of the hideout of the Boss of the Black Mantis. Irvin was hoping that he would die once he went there.
But when Irvin realized that he would be going there with Arthur, he changed his mind because there was no way he was going to survive it.
If Arthur survives the fight with the second mortal coil boss of the Black Mantis, he will surely kill Irvin. On the other hand, if the boss wins the fight, the boss will surely kill Irvin for ratting him out and bringing an enemy over to his place.
Despite saying he was willing to die and was hoping for a quick death, Irvin didn't really want to die. He still held up hope that he would survive this experience.
So he changed his description and didn't let Arthur meet with his boss. He wanted to increase his worth to Arthur, so he promised to help him destroy the Black Mantis group.
But Arthur didn't care for his offer. He already knew where the base of the Black Mantis group was. He just hadn't gone there to raid it because he wasn't strong enough to take on their boss.
Not even Irvin's promise that the boss was injured was enough to change his mind.
Irvin said, "I swear it on my life. The boss is actually crippled. He was hurt badly by an enemy. It is a permanent injury, which is why he doesn't go out to hunt himself but instead runs an assassination organization."
"I know a lot of information about him like that. If you let me go, I will help you overthrow him and take control of the group. I am willing to swear it on the Ethera tree."
Arthur was half convinced when he heard Irvin's willingness to swear on the Ethera tree. That kind of oath is binding as long as someone cares about their life.
Unfortunately, the oath is not without its shortcomings. For example, if someone is willing to die and wants to bring you down with them, they might swear that oath to make you let down your guard. Then they will lead you into a trap.
Irvin is supposed to be a master trapper. If given the right chance and tools, he can bring down someone stronger than him. So he couldn't believe everything Irvin was saying.
Besides, he still wanted to kill Irvin as payback for nearly killing him. So he wasn't willing to swear that he wouldn't kill Irvin.
Irvin was destined to die when he stabbed Arthur in the back with a spear. What hasn't been determined yet is when and where he is going to die.
After Arthur had fleeced him for all that he had to give, he took Irvin to the basement of his house. Then he tied him up on a chair.
He smiled in anticipation as he did so.