The Devil's Cage

"Let’s go, the item Madam Nikorei has picked for you should be in the underground hall…" Frostrill said with a smile before he suddenly froze.

A layer of cold ice had formed around his body.

Kieran had made his move. He had chosen to break through from Frostrill’s side.

The front and back were the first options he had given up on.

Every Dark Star Society member had considerable strength, plus the number advantage, and Fenkes and Frostrill’s help. It would have been suicide if he’d tried to break through the front or the back.

Therefore, Kieran’s only option had been to get to Frostrill or Fenkes before the squad arrived.

Fenkes would have undoubtedly been far weaker than Frostrill, so it might have been a better choice to break through him, but Frostrill was closer to Kieran.

Plus, if he decided to go after Fenkes, Frostrill would have definitely attacked him.

Since Frostrill needed him to open the bronze coffin, he might not have killed Kieran, but Kieran’s plan to break out would have been in vain.

Similarly, if Kieran had gone after Frostrill, Fenkes would have attacked him.

After comparing the two, Kieran decided he would rather have Fenkes attack him.

That was why he had pinned down Frostrill and allowed Fenkes to strike.

It was the only opportunity he would get to escape.

Kieran had quietly touched Frostrill’s arm with [Wilco’s Grudge]. The instant they’d come into contact, the [Chilling Touch] had been activated and the Powerful Level Cold Attack had formed a layer of ice over Frostrill’s body.

Meanwhile, Kieran launched a kick at Fenkes’ waist.

As the burning flame lit up, a formless barrier appeared around Fenkes’s waist and easily blocked Kieran’s flaming kick. Fenkes had suffered no damage from the kick.

However, Kieran’s intention had not been to inflict damage on the man. He wanted to use the reflective force of the kick to bounce backwards into the sea.

Water splashed around as Kieran’s figure disappeared inside the water.

"Argggggh!" Fenkes let out a shout, the veins on his forehead bulging. His friendly, kind face was transformed by a ferocious, scary expression.

A layer of black mist erupted beneath his feet and engulfed him in a second. He turned into a black shadow and threw himself into the sea in pursuit of Kieran.

The two figures disappeared in the water within a few seconds.

Everything happened as fast as lightning strike. The Dark Star Society members were not able to react in time.

The layer of ice around Frostrill’s body started to crack.

Soon, he burst out of it and turned his attention to the ripples left behind by Fenkes and Kieran. He frowned slightly over Kieran’s escape attempt.

"So he did find out! Interesting… He really deserves to be Nikorei’s assistant!" Frostrill said lightly.

He did not understand how his careful plan had been exposed, but he knew that he had underestimated Kieran’s abilities.

While Frostrill had focused all his attention on confusing Nikorei, the assistant he had been ignoring had discovered a clue. The whole thing made Frostrill feel a little angry.

His anger faded quickly though, as he believed Fenkes would return soon with a satisfying answer.

"If tricks and persuasion don’t work, then we’ll use force!" Frostrill thought.

...

After activating [Wilco’s Grudge], Kieran had to suffer 300 Damage to his HP. The asthenia was corroding his body.

He had felt an extreme pressure the moment he had dived into the sea, but he dared not slow down.

He quickly swam away, placing a [Medium Healing Potion] in his mouth.

Swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of seawater, Kieran finished the [Medium Healing Potion].

His HP quickly recovered and eliminated the weakness from his body.

His replenished strength exploded from his body, allowing him to swim even faster. It did not give Kieran any relief though.

[Chilling Touch: Inflicts 500 Damage to Target, Target has Secondary Elemental Damage Resistance, Defense enhanced from Special Equipment, 50 True Damage inflicted to target…]

[Flame Kick: Inflicts 100 Damage to Target (Hand-to-Hand Combat, Kicking), Target has Defense Enhancing Barrier, Resisted 100 Damage, 0 Damage inflicted to Target HP...]

The two battlelog notifications allowed Kieran to understand what kind of monster he was facing.

Kieran had not expected the Powerful Cold Attack to deal any significant damage to Frostrill, but the true damage inflicted was only 1/10 of what he had expected.

"Secondary Elemental Damage Resistance? Special Equipment? What the hell..."

Kieran memorized both terms as he glanced at the notifications.

Then he turned around and saw Fenkes, who had turned into a dark mist while chasing him.

Despite the water resistance, Kieran could clearly feel the malicious intent erupting from the cloud of black mist.

It had been following Kieran closely from the moment he had dived in the sea.

The ridiculous speed of the dark mist did not seem to be affected by water resistance.

It was pursuing Kieran like an arrow riding the wind and the waves.

Its speed alarmed Kieran, who could sense the danger in his heart.

He wanted to attack it, but his weapons had lost their power inside the water.

Without any other long-range attacking methods, Kieran could only clench his teeth and swim faster.

He knew he would be safe once he’d swimmed out of that area and Nikorei was able to "see" what was going on.

"You can’t get away, 2657!"

Fenkes’ words also ignored water resistance, reaching Kieran’s ears clearly.

Kieran instinctively wanted to swim faster, but a thin black chain latched onto his legs.

[Shadow Chain: Target inflicts 10 Negative Corrosion Damage to your HP, Your Strength has failed the authentication, Your legs will remain bound for 1 second, 5 Negative Corrosion Damage inflicted per second for 3 seconds…]

Kieran’s body froze suddenly while he was swimming.

The notifications told him exactly what was happening to him.

Although he would only remain bound for 1 second, it would be enough for Fenkes to catch up with him.

Fenkes, who had been covered in the dark mist, revealed his face to him.

It was full of popping veins and a ferocious smile that was meant to intimidate Kieran.

"I already told you that you wouldn’t be able to escape!" Fenkes’s voice entered Kieran’s ears again.

Fenkes clapped his hands and extended his hand through the dark mist to grab Kieran’s throat. His fingers were hard as iron, and the dark mist was blocking Kieran’s view as the negative energy was corroding his body.

"Smart people never meet a good end! I was planning on torturing you to death after you opened the bronze coffin, but your actions have sped up your torture! Very well then! Or else how could I avenge myself after you’ve killed me the last time?" Fenkes laughed viciously.

The dark mist was rolling around his body.

Suddenly, the boiling mist formed a negative energy figure that replaced Fenkes’ body.

The figure revealed its face. It was Gilfren Hatch!

Kieran panicked before he suddenly became delighted.

Translator's Thoughts

Dess Dess

I did not know Kieran could swim so well