Chapter 82
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Encounter with the Dark King
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Encounter with the Dark King
What were Beil's orders for you?
To, to take over the information guild in Marquis Lox's domain and gather all information on Yuren Lox, s-sir. Huk!
The Wolf leader, fed both a truth serum and poison, began spilling information so freely it surprised even himself.
A-and we were ordered to establish a connection inside the Lox House.
He was even volunteering details I hadn't asked for, the information flowing out of him endlessly.
Just as I expected. Beil must be in quite a hurry.
Ugh...
Meeting my gaze, the Wolf leader averted his eyes, breaking out in a cold sweat.
How do you send information to Beil?
O-once a week, we hand a report to a Wolf who comes from Lord Beil.
A report?
It's a report detailing the mission's progress and information on Y-Yuren Lox... sir.
The man hesitated, wondering how to address me, before belatedly adding the honorific.
When does this agent arrive?
T-today.
Today, you say. I wonder if this is good luck.
A smile naturally formed on my lips. If I could give Beil's Wolf a report stating that nothing had happened, I could buy myself a week.
In that time, I could prepare to capture him.
Good. Tell me the time and place.
After leaving Brika to clean up, I got all the details about the rendezvous from the Wolf leader, put on his clothes and mask, and headed for the meeting spot.
Is this the place?
The meeting point with the contact was an abandoned house on the opposite side of this clearing. It seemed they hadn't arrived yet, as no one was in sight.
They're here.
After a short wait, I heard the sound of light footsteps approaching.
Creeak.
The dilapidated door, looking like it could fall apart at any moment, opened, and a small figure dressed in black entered. I had assumed it would be a man, but unexpectedly, the Wolf who came in was a woman.
Shhk.
Just as the Wolf leader had instructed, I said nothing and handed her the false report.
She tucked the report into her clothes, then stared into my eyes for a moment.
How far along is the takeover of the information guild?
It's completely finished.
I had anticipated she might ask questions, so I wasn't flustered and answered in a disguised voice.
I heard one man was causing trouble.
The person she was talking about must be Brika.
I killed him and all his men. There are no more obstacles to the mission.
She gave a slight nod, then looked at me with questioning eyes.
Take off your mask.
The 'skin' was what the Wolves called the masks they wore on missions.
Why?
I kept my mask on and stared at her. From what the Wolf leader had told me, he and this woman were of the same rank. I figured it would be stranger to obey her without question.
Still don't listen the first time, I see.
She took off her own mask first. She had sharp eyes and a cold expression.
You're a real pain.
I glanced at her face for a moment, then slowly removed my mask as well.
I was just checking, just in case. Complete the mission without any slip-ups.
She studied my face for a moment, then nodded.
I'll do my job whether you tell me to or not.
Hmph.
The woman scoffed lightly and left the abandoned house.
Good thing I prepared in advance.
Just in case, I had used Agnes to replicate the leader's face over my own before coming here. It had reproduced everything perfectly, down to the last mole and scar. The meticulous preparation paid off.
With this, I've definitely bought a week.
A week until that woman returns. I have to finish all my preparations within that time.
At this rate, I think I can attempt the sixth stage.
The amount of my internal energy was more than enough to have challenged the sixth stage of the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi long ago, and I had also achieved a high level of proficiency in my assassination and poison techniques.
I had enough time and ability to reach the sixth stage.
I left the abandoned house and went to find Brika.
Boss, you're here!
Brika ran out like a puppy that had just seen its food.
Those men won't be targeting you anymore.
Thank you! Big Boss!
You can handle organizing the guild on your own, right?
Of course. I can take care of it. You don't have to worry!
Brika's eyes shone as if asking me to trust him.
As for having seen me...
Of course, I won't tell a soul.
And this is just a suggestion, but why don't you entrust the guild master position to someone you trust and start training again?
What? Training?
You said you lost your aura, right?
That's right, Big Boss. I was injured while escaping. They said it could never be healed...
I can fix that, so pick up your sword again properly.
Huh?
Brika stared into my eyes, his face stunned. The dying embers of hope in his eyes flared back to life.
He'd said he had given up on his aura, but who could ever truly let go of something like that?
I-is that really true?
Yes. I'll restore it for you, so pick up your sword and start training again.
Beil had already twisted Brika's story. Since I didn't know if he could recover his wounds and aura like in the original novel, I thought it best to help him and win him over.
I understand. I'll trust you, Big Boss, and train with all my might!
A normal person might have been suspicious, but thanks to his innate personality and high affinity for me, he trusted my words completely.
I'll stop by again later, then.
Boss! Take care! I won't disappoint you!
Brika kept his head bowed low until I was out of sight.
I don't feel anything.
I came to the natural caves where Pomera was training in mana meditation, but I couldn't sense his presence.
Does mana meditation have the effect of erasing one's presence and aura? He's almost become one with nature.
Only by expanding my senses wide and meticulously could I pinpoint which cave he was in.
When I entered Pomera's cave, I found it was narrow but clean, with nameless orchid-like plants growing on the walls and floor. It truly looked like a place where a master would train.
Wow, he's really into it.
Pomera was sitting in the lotus position, just as I do when I cultivate my internal arts. The sight of the tiny skeleton sitting with its legs tucked in made it look just like a child monk.
He must have been meditating with his eyes closed, as the blue flames that usually flickered in his eye sockets were completely extinguished.
Bbaek.
When Bbaekbbaegi emerged from my pocket and chirped quietly, blue flames gently kindled in Pomera's eye sockets.
The master and the foul-tempered bird.
Bbaek!
Bbaekbbaegi chirped loudly as if to tell him to stop talking nonsense.
At this rate, aren't you going to achieve enlightenment?
Enlightenment? What is that?
If you don't know, never mind.
You've come to see me in less than a day. Is something else the matter?
I have something for you.
After replying, I opened my magic pouch and took out an orb for him.
What is this?
As I handed it to him, Pomera took the orb reluctantly and asked.
It's a Dark Magic Orb I got from defeating a Death Knight.
A Death Knight!
Unlike Isaac's cursed orb, this one contains pure dark magic. Absorb the magic from it.
You defeated a Death Knight?
Like a true necromancer, Pomera was more interested in the Death Knight than the Dark Magic Orb.
It appeared as a guardian in a demonized land.
A masterless Death Knight, what a waste. If I had been there, I would have made it mine immediately...
If you had been there, you would have been forcibly sent to the afterlife.
I could just imagine Irea letting out a beastly roar and smashing Pomera's skull to pieces.
In any case, absorb the orb's magic. It will help you in a good way.
Um, th-thank you.
Pomera took the orb and nodded shyly.
Your meditation seems to be going well.
Indeed. It is a time as happy as my magical research.
Just endure a little longer. It won't be much longer now.
It is no hardship; I truly enjoy it. But Master, did you come just to give me this?
That, and to do some training of my own.
Then you've come to the right place. It is quiet here, with no interruptions. The occasional sound of waves is soothing to the soul.
Pomera spread his arms and began to boast about the coastal cave as if showing off his own home.
Right, right. I need to train too, so I'm going.
Thank you, Master.
Pomera said, waving the orb in his hand.
Bbaek.
Yes. You too, foul-tempered bird, farewell.
BBAAEK!
I stopped Bbaekbbaegi from pouncing on him and left his cave, entering another that looked clean.
Not bad.
Looking inside, it was a clean cave, untouched by beast or man.
Bbaekbbaegi.
Bbaek.
Don't bother me, and if anyone tries to come in here, stop them at all costs.
Bbaek!
Bbaekbbaegi chirped resoundingly, as if telling me to trust it. I placed its food in front of it and went deeper into the cave.
The sixth stage...
My hands trembled slightly with anticipation for what new abilities and changes would come upon reaching the sixth stage.
Shall I begin?
I sat in the cave, closed my eyes, and began to guide the internal energy of the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi. The overflowing energy flowed like a cool, swift current, beginning to circulate throughout my entire body.
There's a lot of internal energy.
As I meticulously observed my dantian, I realized the accumulated internal energy was far greater than I'd thought. It was more than enough to have challenged the sixth stage long ago.
Rumble...
The excessively accumulated energy began to surge through my body, effortlessly breaking through unopened minor meridians.
As I focused all my senses on moving the energy, my mind sank into a deep trance as if into a swamp.
The amount of internal energy is abnormally high.
The proficiency in your assassination techniques and poison arts is high.
Unlock
Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi is synchronizing.
Initiating Encounter with the Cheonsuamwang.
I thought I saw some messages pop up, but as I ignored them and continued to circulate my energy, I felt my bodyno, my spiritfloat up like a balloon.
Flash.
What the...
A bamboo forest.
One moment I was sitting in the lotus position in a coastal cave, and the next, I came to my senses in an unfamiliar bamboo forest.
I can't move.
I couldn't move or speak; I could only stare at the bamboo forest before me.
That's a dagger.
Strangely, embedded in a bamboo stalk in the center of the forest was a dagger of the Tang Clan, the same kind I used.
Step.
A footstep that commanded the attention of the entire world.
Step.
A man with long hair tied neatly back walked into the bamboo forest. He wore a brilliant yellow-green robe of a style I had never seen before, neither in novels nor in reality.
Funn... story...
He stood before the forest, hands clasped behind his back, and gazed at the sky, muttering something. His words were distorted, as if by static, and I couldn't make them out.
The man lowered his gaze from the sky and slowly turned to look in my direction.
This is impossible!
He merely looked my way, yet I felt the presence of an absolute ruler who looked down upon the world. My hands felt as if they were trembling.
I can't see his face...
I could feel him looking at me, but his face, like his voice, was obscured as if by a fog.
Dist... descendant... achievement...
What?
The man was saying something, but I still couldn't hear him clearly.
Due to the difference in proficiency with the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi, the target cannot be clearly identified.
Due to the difference in proficiency with the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi, unification with the target fails.
A message appeared as I tried to get a better look at his face and hear his voice.
A difference in proficiency with the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi? Don't tell me!
For a brief moment, the fog cleared from his right eye, and our gazes met. The instant I saw his perfectly still eye, my mind went blank, as if frozen.
Myriad Poisons... fifth stage... not bad... descendant.
He read me. Just by looking, he read my Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi...
Hehe, not... a lie...
Though I couldn't see clearly, the man seemed to feel a sense of pride as he looked at me.
Due to the difference in proficiency with the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi, unification with the target fails.
Suddenly, the message I had seen before appeared again.
A pity... instead...
The man unclasped his hands from behind his back and spread his feet shoulder-width apart.
Step.
One step.
With a single step, he was already in the center of the bamboo forest.
Step.
With the second step, he appeared before me, the dagger now somehow in his hand.
I will show you.